Tourists' and community perceptions on sustainability of Umthayi Marual festival in Kwazulu-Natal.
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Date
2021
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Univeristy of Zululand
Abstract
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.
Description
A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts in fulfilment of the requirements for the Master of Arts in the Department of Recreation and Tourism at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2021.
Keywords
Umthayi Marula Festival, Sustainable development, Socio-cultural sustainability, Economic sustainability