The brand essence and brand competitiveness of KwaZulu-Natal: Tourists’ perceptions
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Date
2019
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University of Zululand
Abstract
The tourism industry has been growing rapidly over the years with the pass of time, the more crucial the industry tends to be, the more it contributing to the GDP. The growth of the tourism industry largely relies on the consumers of the tourism offerings, the tourists. This study aims to find out tourists’ perception of the KwaZuluNatal (South Africa) brand essence and brand competitiveness as a tourism destination. This research explored how tourists view the KwaZulu-Natal brand essence and if they regard it to be competitive compared to other destinations. The quantitative research method (structured questionnaire survey) was used to collect usable data from 406 respondents. Data analyses used descriptive statistics, bivariate tests (Spearman’s Correlation tests, Mann-Whitney U tests) and multivariate tests (Reliability tests using Cronbach’s Alpha) to reach study results. The results revealed that tourists are mostly satisfied with visiting KwaZulu-Natal; they indicated that the destination has value for their money. Most of the tourists are willing to return and they are willing to recommend KwaZulu-Natal to others. Tourists see KwaZulu-Natal as a competitive destination. Other interesting results that link tourists’ demographic profile to the KwaZulu-Natal brand essence and competitiveness perceptions, were unearthed in this study. The study makes recommendations that the KwaZulu-Natal should position itself more strongly as an international tourist destination, and focus on attracting matured visitors; those above the age of 30 years old. The service providers should focus more on providing tourism packages inclusive of transport, as a significant number of tourists reported that local transportation in KwaZulu-Natal is not efficient. Local communities in KwaZulu-Natal should work hand-in-glove with the police to improve safety and security in the destination, especially in and around the tourism facilities. These recommendations will assist the managers of the KwaZulu-Natal tourism destinations to improve the quality standards of the destination and help it to be able to compete more strongly in the national and global tourism marketplaces.
Description
A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the Degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Recreation and Tourism, Faculty of Arts, at the University of Zululand, 2019.
Keywords
Brand essence, brand competitiveness, tourism