3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Destination marketing: a study into international airport service experience, destination image and intention to revisit South Africa(2017) Chuchu, TinasheThe purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship that potentially exists between international airport experience, destination image, and the intention to revisit South Africa. A research conceptual model was developed in order to analyse potential relationships from that model. The objectives of the study were to examine the relationship airport experience and destination image as well at the relationship between destination image and a traveller’s intention to revisit a destination. This research was grounded in numerous theories, namely the destination image theory, destination concept, marketing theory and service concept. The study reviewed literature on destination marketing, highlighting its evolution over the years, and its importance, in particular to South Africa. For purposes of the research, nine hypotheses were developed based on the conceptual model where all the proposed hypotheses were supported. The study was quantitative in nature, in that all data was collected through convenience sampling at the OR Tambo International Airport. Research surveys were self- administered to 508 willing international travellers at the OR Tambo International Airport. Out of the 508 surveys distributed, 503 were usable for research analysis purposes. To analyse the research data, structural equation modelling was adopted. The main findings of the study touched on various aspects. Firstly, travellers perceived servicescape to be a crucial factor in their overall assessment of the kind of value an airport would offer to them, and ultimately in their overall impression of South Africa as a destination. Secondly, it was also established that tourists' pre-conceived ideas of South Africa were the strongest motivator of their intention to revisit the country. This implied that tourists visit South Africa with a firm idea of what the country will be like as well, and whether they would want to return to the country, even before they set foot in the country. Overall the study established that international tourists had an appreciation for the airport experience at the OR Tambo International Airport, and also they would consider revisiting South Africa. The contribution of this study was to enhance the comprehension of existing literature on destination marketing and the international airport management sector. Furthermore, the study provided new perspectives to the current body of knowledge regarding motivations for tourists to return to destinations.Item The administrative impact of Black Economic Empowerment certification on tourism enterprises in South Africa(2012-09-12) Ngcobo, Makhosazana NomceboThe Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Act 53 of 2003 sought to redress the socioeconomic imbalances caused by South Africa’s apartheid laws. The Act included different strategies to give preference to previously disadvantaged individuals on such aspects as ownership, management, employment, enterprise development, preferential procurement, skills development and socio-economic development. This thesis does not explore the plausibility of the regulations but rather the possible gap between intended benefits and the impact of B-BBEE. It is intended to establish the administrative impact of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) certification,1 using a case study of a medium-sized tourism enterprise. The findings of this administrative impact are juxtaposed with the policy intentions as established through policymakers. The primary question is ‘What is the administrative impact of BEE certification on tourism enterprises in South Africa?’ The main propositions are that the administrative costs of BEE certification have had a significant negative impact on the profitability and competitiveness of medium-sized tourism enterprises; that tourism enterprises are not aware of the full extent of the administrative costs of BEE certification; and that policymakers are not aware of the unintended impacts caused by BEE certification on tourism enterprises. The research was undertaken through two interrelated phases, the first of which was exploratory in nature and sought to establish the administrative impact of BEE certification through the case study organization. The second phase sought to present the findings regarding the administrative impact of BEE certification to policymakers, with the aim of establishing policymakers’ awareness of the gap between policy intentions and policy impacts. Multiple methods have been used in order to gather data that informs this thesis. Primary data was obtained through semistructured interviews. The thesis focused on a case of one medium-sized organization, which was selected using convenience sampling. An in-depth interview was conducted with the Head of Administration and Finance in the organization, as the key person responsible for overseeing the process of BEE certification. Since the thesis focuses on a single entity, the data pool was too small to allow for the generalization of findings, but sufficient for a series of in-depth explorations and assessments of the topic. Secondary data was obtained from various sources such as journals, periodicals, and reports, particularly in relation to regulatory impact assessments as well as on certification issues in the tourism sector. The main findings are that the administrative costs of BEE certification have had a minimal impact on the profitability and competitiveness of medium-sized tourism enterprises, especially from the second year of conducting the annual audits as the systems are already in place for oncoming audits. It is only about 0.01% of turnover. 1 An activity that stems from one of the regulations linked to B-BBEE Act. It is an annual certification to demonstrate the companies’ achievement as far as B-BBEE is concerned, and entails an audit process executed by South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) registered agencies. Page 3 of 3 However, the psychological burden associated with the stress of administrative preparations for audits makes it seem more costly. The tourism enterprises are unaware of the extent of the administrative costs of BEE certification in that they overestimate the cost implications by at least 75%. The policymakers are unaware of the unintended impacts caused by BEE certification on tourism enterprises, especially as they relate to the administrative costs. In conclusion, the administrative impact of BEE certification on medium-sized enterprises is minimal as far as costs are concerned; however the psychological burden, although not measurable, is substantial. Moreover, the policymakers are oblivious to any possible impacts that might have been caused by BEE certification on enterprises, thus making the gap between policy intentions and the policy impact more than it could have been had they had the awareness. Awareness at the least gives an option to rectify where possible, thus ignorance of situation can to a certain extent exacerbate the situation.Item Tourism-led development in South Africa: a case study of the Makuleke partnership with Wilderness Safaris(2012-02-29) Shehab, May;Through a case study of the relationship between the rural Makuleke community and the regional tourism operator Wilderness Safaris, this thesis examines the impact of tourism partnerships on community development in post-‐ apartheid South Africa. The study considers the tourism component of the ‘Makuleke model’, a concept used frequently in academic and popular literature to refer to the community’s landmark land restitution case involving the Kruger National Park (KNP). Thirty years after experiencing a forced removal by the apartheid regime, the Makuleke community in 1998 was able to regain their lost land (the Pafuri area of Kruger National Park) and benefit from it through conservation and tourism. The Makuleke have partnered with three tourism operators, their main concessionaire being Wilderness Safaris. Their contractual agreement obliges the tourism company to pay lease fees to the Makuleke Communal Property Association (CPA) and to employ Makuleke residents. To further community development, Wilderness Safaris established a joint venture with the Makuleke CPA, and also runs an environmental education programme for children. Evidence for this thesis was collected over a two and a half year period (from May 2007 to December 2009) using three methodological approaches: archival research, participant observation and semi-‐structured, open-‐ended interviews. In analysing the Makuleke CPA-‐Wilderness Safaris partnership, findings reveal that ten years after the land claim, the commended ‘Makuleke model’ is neither as conceptually coherent nor as practically successful as is commonly supposed. I argue that although the model denotes success, a closer scrutiny of its foundations, assumptions and context expose inherent forces and practices that hinder its long-‐ term effective implementation. Influenced by post-‐development theory, I question perceptions of equality in benefit distribution, critique the juxtaposition of traditional with modern values, and examine contestations over power within the Makuleke community. I demonstrate how these features undermine the potential for the genuine transformation and broad-‐based social upliftment that tourism-‐led development purposes to achieve at Makuleke. My research findings confirm post-‐development theoretical propositions that criticise the contradictions in orthodox development procedures and call for a rethinking of the premises upon which approaches to community upliftment through tourism are generally founded.Item The emerging role of the fashion industry in Johannesburg's tourism development strategy(2008-03-18T10:32:34Z) Gatawa, Nyasha GraceABSTRACT The tourism industry has been described as one of the world’s highest priority industries and has emerged as a significant sector in many global economies including South Africa. The global fashion industry is also a multi-billion dollar industry and in many parts of the world is a huge draw card for tourists. Cities like Paris, Milan and New York have long been acclaimed for their thriving fashion industries. In recent times non-traditional fashion cities such as Kenya, Beirut, Lyon and Amsterdam have increasingly looked to the fashion industry for economic and tourism development. The South African fashion industry has flourished in recent years with the emergence of a new genre of design houses redefining South African fashion. It is against this background that the focus of this study was to investigate the link between fashion and tourism in the city of Johannesburg. A review of the policy framework surrounding the cultural and tourism industries was conducted to ascertain the role and importance ascribed to the tourism and cultural industries in South African policy with particular emphasis on the city of Johannesburg’s policy environment. The international experience of using fashion in tourism and urban development strategies provided examples and insight into global strategies of linking fashion and tourism. Case studies of the Johannesburg Fashion District and SA Fashion Week revealed their emerging role in the tourism industry. The experience and views of designers and industry officials regarding the role of fashion in the tourism industry was determined through in-depth semi-structured interviews. The study concluded that there is definitely potential for the local fashion industry to make a significant contribution to tourism in the city of Johannesburg but this is dependent on the development of a clear fashion tourism policy framework, greater marketing and promotional efforts and the addressing of critical challenges in the fashion and cultural tourism sectors.