The expenditure patterns of Zimbabweans travelling to and from South Africa for visiting friends and relatives purposes.

Abstract

Tourism contributes to economic development in both developed and developing countries. Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) travel is one of the largest forms of tourism on a global level. However, there has been limited research over the past decades on VFR travel especially in developing countries. In recent times, VFR travel has attracted the attention of researchers due to an increasing rate of migration resulting in the promotion of regional tourism through VFR travel. Despite the influx of migrants in South Africa, research on international VFR travel has been limited as most research on VFR travel has been on a local level from one province to another. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the expenditure patterns of Zimbabweans travelling to and from South Africa for VFR purposes. Furthermore, the study seeks to identify the benefits of VFR travel to individual households in Zimbabwe. Using a quantitative framework, 200 questionnaires were distributed to Zimbabweans and a Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) was used as an analytical tool. Data analysis and discussion of the results reveal that VFR travellers from South Africa spend more than VFR travellers to South Africa on transport costs, food and beverages, entertainment and financial remittances. The expenditure is based on socio-demographics and the actual expenditure at a destination. Due to VFR travellers’ expenditure, the benefits, which are directed to individual households in Zimbabwe, include household upkeep, education, business investment, health and other reasons. Thus, this study focuses attention on international VFR travel and its contribution to the tourism economy both in Zimbabwe and South Africa.