Facilitating Domestic Tourism Development in Mpumalanga: Lessons from the COVID 19 Pandemic

Keywords: tourism, South Africa, domestic tourism, COVID 19
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Tuesday
Session Start / End Time: 3/1/2022 03:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 3/1/2022 05:00 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 58

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic represents a crisis event that potentially is set to transform South Africa’s tourism sector as well as the context in which it functions indefinitely. As South Africa has increasingly utilized tourism as a local economic development strategy, many parts of the country are heavily reliant on this sector, particularly in terms of employment. This is particularly the case for the Mpumalanga Province, in which major tourism assets are located including Kruger National Park and the Panorama Route. These areas have, in years leading up to the pandemic, been primarily dependent on international tourism markets. Undoubtedly, the magnitude of the pandemic will reshape existing patterns of tourism demand and supply which need to be understood and researched for designing appropriate policy interventions. One of the primary transformations which has been experienced thus far is the increasingly reliance of the sector on the domestic tourism market. Though spurred on by the pandemic, long-term transformations in mobility caused by other crises such as climate change are also likely to drive a need for increased engagement with the domestic tourism market. This study, therefore, presents the perspectives of local tourism operators on the dynamics of the domestic market, the challenges associated with this transformation in the tourism market share and the possible opportunities for development and engagement with this market going forward.