Oribi Gorge as a tourist attraction: assessment and prospects
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Date
2007
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Abstract
The study on assessment and prospects of Oribi Gorge as a tourist attraction was conducted against the background that, in spite of the fact that South Africa is blessed with accessible wildlife, varied and impressive scenery, unspoiled wilderness areas; she has not yet been able to realise her full tourism potential. South Africa's failure to realise her potential is evident in that tourism contribution to employment, small business development, income and foreign exchange, is limited. The subsequent result of this limited contribution is that some tourist destinations attract more tourists while other destinations attract few tourists. Despite the existence of the democratic government elected in 1994, tourism development in South Africa still focuses on urban areas and areas along coast. It is also shocking to note that the tourism industry is still dominated by the white population sector. The involvement of local indigenous communities in tourism related activities in the study area is almost non¬existent. The study therefore, had specific objectives which are the following:
(a) To find out whether the local community is aware of the activities
and facilities in Oribi Gorge.
(b) To find out whether the facilities in the study area are well-
equipped and whether they are adequately supplied.
(c) To determine whether the level of utilisation and patronage of
various resource facilities in the study area are of low or high order.
(d) To investigate the different marketing strategies that are employed
by the officials of Oribi Gorge and whether these strategies do
reach the local community.
(e) To ascertain the views of the tourists with regard to the planning
and future development of the study area.
A number of hypotheses directly related to the objectives of the study were postulated. The hypotheses were duly tested in an attempt to uncover the underlying causes of the identified discrepancies in the study area. The testing of the hypotheses was done through the analysis and interpretation of the data collected from the population sectors that are directly or indirectly affected by the study area.
The findings from analyses and interpretation revealed the shortcomings regarding the equipment and the supply of facilities, and also that the levels of utilisation are low in the study area. The marketing strategies used for the destination were found to be targeting the elite groups of the society which subsequently resulted in the lack of awareness of tourism activities and non-participation in activities among the local community members. The proposed development plans of the officials were also found to be in disarray as the plans did not take into consideration the needs of the tourists. The study is concluded by putting forward the recommendations aimed at improving the conditions in the study area.
Description
A dissertation of limited scope submitted to the Faculty of Arts in
partial fulfIlment of the requirements for the course-work degree
of Masters of Recreation and Tourism in the
Centre for Recreation and Tourism at
the University of Zululand, 2007.
Keywords
Tourism