The Municipality's role in enabling heritage tourism in small towns: the Case of KwaDukuza Municipality

Abstract

Local economic development is one of the core functions of local government in South Africa. Tourism planning is about creating localities as centres for consumption. The aim of the research is to highlight the importance of heritage tourism in planning tourism as a lead sector and a driver for local economic development in South Africa. The main aim of the research is to contribute towards existing scholarship on the relationship between small towns, tourism and economic development by focusing specifically on the role of the municipality in enabling the growth of heritage tourism. Although much research has been conducted over the years to evaluate the transformation of the South African tourism industry and to investigate the different facets of urban tourism in major cities, limited attention has been given to small towns and heritage tourism. The objectives of the study are to examine the extent to which heritage tourism has been highlighted as a key economic sector and incorporated into municipal planning. The research looks at interrogating the existing municipal plans and the role of tourism development in economic development by identifying key dynamics and success factors in the implementation of tourism development within the context of a small town. This study investigates how the KwaDukuza local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal has acted upon heritage tourism’s potential and the challenges the municipality may face in undertaking its role. The KwaDukuza study findings shows there is great potential in developing tourism as a viable basis for economic development and poverty alleviation in the municipality. This study recommends the strengthening of relationships between the local municipality, local business sector and other stakeholders to ensure a more sustainable tourism development process. As KwaDukuza is a town which is rich in tourism opportunities, the study recommends the need to invest in tourism development planning that is sustainable and responsive to the many social needs