The role of tour operators in promoting township tourism : a case study of Inanda in KwaZulu-Natal

Abstract

The aim of the study was to explore the tour operator’s role in promoting township tourism at Inanda in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Township tourism has enormous potential and ever-growing economic opportunities for local entrepreneurs to enter into the tour operating business. With necessary support this can contribute immensely in overcoming the legacy of social and economic exclusion which for the decades has characterised township life. It is a fact that the growth of township tourism has produced significant social transformation in the ancillary areas of the tourism industry in the tourism destinations, despite the fact that connections between these areas and tour operators are weak. This situation is no longer considered as being a sustainable way to travel and do business. This study takes the view that the tour operator’s business does not only entail picking up and dropping off tourists at their booked accommodation. The objectives of the study were to identify the promotional strategies that tour operators employ in promoting small tourism enterprises in townships; to identify effective strategies used by tour operator when promoting township tourism; to explore the barriers faced by tour operators preventing them from contributing effectively to the promoting of township tourism; and to identify and disclose all the small tourism enterprises that benefit through the role that is played by tour operators in township tourism and to recommend changes needed to advance the promotion of township tourism in Inanda. This research explored and investigated the role played by tour operators and the challenges they may come across in growing their small businesses. A qualitative research methodology was utilised to collect the primary data for this study. Data collection was conducted through interviews. The sample size for the study was seven tour operators within Inanda township. The outcomes from the literature and primary study discovered some interesting findings related to the objectives and of the research questions. The most important finding in the literature review was that tour operators need to deliver the best possible service as tourists are important for the destination’s economy (Tour Operators Initiative [TOI], 2008: 108).

The findings of the study indicate that there is direct contact between tour operators and clients during tours thus personal one-on-one safety is of critical importance (Moutinho, 2011: 161). Another finding is that there is little or no support from government for local tour operators. This hinders them from accessing information that would enable them to understand the tourism business holistically.