Exploring innovation in promoting tourism for sustainable development : a case of uMkhanyakude District Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal

Abstract

According to Marchesani, Masciarelli and Ceci (2024), municipalities that are doing well and becoming more competitive are responding to new emerging trends and specific traveller preferences, the growing importance of social media, and mobile internet marketing. Calitz and Cullen (2017:1) state that a key component of a municipality's expansion to promote economic development is the recognition of trends in destination marketing, to increase marketability when compared to worldclass municipalities. The aim of the current study was to explore the innovative ways used by the uMkhanyakude District Municipality (UKDM) to promote tourism and sustainable development. Evidence shows that there is increased responsibility on local governments in tourism destination planning and management to facilitate and promote local tourism in rural communities through the lens of innovation. In this day and age, it is not enough for tourism businesses to rely solely on the traditional media for marketing and promotion. An influx of tourists in UKDM can be achieved through the usage of innovative tourism promotion strategies (internet, mobile phones, social media, viral marketing, mobile commerce, and video marketing etc.) and capacitating tourism practitioners at local government level to undertake effective tourism promotion and marketing to effectively respond to increasingly sophisticated market needs and trends. Analysing the market needs thorough research to disclose all the challenges that the municipalities may come across in promoting and growing the tourism industry in the UKDM and the adjacent communities to expedite their welfare through promotion and sustainable economic development to enhance tourism promotion and development. Moreover, an information gap exists in UKDM on the use of innovative ways to promote sustainable tourism development, as the district seems to rely mostly on the conventional ways of promotion (district-wide state-of-the-art information centres, glossy Elephant Coast destination brochures, and attending domestic and international trade and consumer shows). New tourism promotion efforts are essential for tourism businesses and the municipalities in the area for enhancement in tourism development which will boost the municipality’s ailing economy. This research explored the innovative ways used by the UKDM in promoting sustainable tourism development and the challenges they encounter in promoting and growing the visitor numbers in uMkhanyakude District Municipality. A qualitative research methodology was utilised to collect primary data through semi-structured interviews for this study and a case study approach was used to explore innovation in promoting sustainable tourism development from uMkhanyakude District Municipality’s tourism practitioners. The study reveals that social media can be used more efficiently than traditional communication channels, with executives in the tourism industry declaring that, like any other business, tourism organisations need to participate in social media marketing platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, X, blogs, forums, and media sharing sites. These media sharing sites are facilitating communication between tourism stakeholders and municipality managers on issues such as improving the images of tourism destinations. They also assist in making past or future tourism plans and establishing direct communication with tourism destinations. The main reason for this is that travellers are constantly using social media before planning their trips, during their trips, and at the end of their trips to share their travel experiences. As a result, social media tools are regarded as effective means of publicising tourist destinations. Findings from the primary study revealed that most of the municipal entities do not use social media as part of their promotion techniques. There is a need for full adoption of the contemporary mechanisms used by tourism municipal destinations around the world. The few tourism entities that use contemporary mechanisms of promotion are only using it for Integrated Development Plan (IDP) roadshows and where tourism is blended with other municipal activities for example in a website, the mechanisms are hardly visited and updated with new and interesting information. In light of the current lack of adoption of the contemporary mechanisms, this reveals a dire need for adoption and usage of such promotion methods as they are cost-effective and suitable for promotion, development and improvement of tourism in uMkhanyakude District Municipality. The results suggest that social media is of strategic importance in promoting tourism.