Recreation and Tourism

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Browsing Recreation and Tourism by Author "Dlamini, Mmeli Joel"

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    Tourists' and community perceptions on sustainability of Umthayi Marual festival in Kwazulu-Natal.
    (Univeristy of Zululand, 2021) Dlamini, Mmeli Joel
    Umthayi Marula Festival is a marula first-fruits-appreciation cultural event organised, planned and staged annually at Manguzi area of uMhlabuyalingana Local Municipality in the northern part of uMkhanyakude District, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Festivals possess a potential to generate number of benefits for destinations, thus sustainability of cultural festivals in this modernising global society is important for future generations. The study therefore explored how environmental, economic and socio cultural sustainability of Umthayi Marula Festival is perceived by tourists and community members, using the case of uMhlabuyalingana Local Municipality. The study used a convenience sampling method of the non-probability sampling design to select 385 respondents (tourists from different places) and local community members living in different regions of uMhlabuyalingana Local Municipality. A structured questionnaire survey was used to collect data from 78 tourists and 307 local residents as respondents who both attend Umthayi Marula Festival. Data analysis were done using IBM’s Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27 software for statistical purposes. Descriptive statistics were used to generate frequency of respondent’s profile (in percentages). The results of the study reveal that Umthayi Marula Festival is perceived to be somewhat a sustainable event. In environmental, economic and socio-cultural sustainability of the festival, both tourists and community hold a perception that there are key areas that need attention for the festival to improve sustainability. This study validates the importance of environmental, economic, and socio-cultural sustainability on the success of the Umthayi Marula Festival and recommends that uMhlabuyalingana Local Municipality, in collaboration with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, Tembe Tribal Authority, and Tourism KwaZulu-Natal, continue to provide targeted Tourism Development and Event Management education to current and prospective tourism-related event planners. To event organisers, this study also recommends that marula trees be formally planted, dustbins be placed for recycling purposes, local artists be remunerated, Tembe people’s core values be recorded for archival purposes and drug checking services be provided for the festival. By doing so, anyone who wants to help sustain the Umthayi Marula Festival and manage a negative impact before, during, and after the festival will have an equal opportunity. Key words: Umthayi Marula Festival; Sustainable development; Environmental sustainability; Economic sustainability; Socio-cultural sustainability; Festival.
University of Zululand