Prospects of using tourism industry to advance community livelihoods in Musina municipality, Limpopo, South Africa

Abstract

Musina municipality is one of the driest municipality in the far North of Limpopo Province, South Africa. It is plainly constituted by poor livelihoods of rural communities, as extensively does most rural communities elsewhere. Nevertheless, the Municipality represents some of the most tourism-based areas in the Vhembe district of Limpopo. The matters of tourism, community livelihoods and sustainable development have been increasingly coming to the forefront. Nonetheless, numerous studies fail to properly assume the integral significances and the comprehensive roles of various forms of tourism in community development within many rural areas; such being a special contribution to the academic knowledge from this investigation. This study evaluates “prospects of using tourism industry to advance community livelihoods in Musina municipality, Limpopo South Africa”. In order to adequately comprehend the dynamics of tourism in Musina municipality, data were ultimately gathered through the use questionnaire surveys, interviews, focus group discussions, document reviews and field observations. Thus, Microsoft Excel, Spread sheet and Manual sorting of data contributed to both quantitative and qualitative data analyses. The study discovered that there are vast tourism potentials, attributed by poor tourism impacts and benefits on local community’s livelihoods improvement. The implications and contributory factors leading to the actual and potential tourism statuses in Musina municipality were essentially scrutinised. The study resolves that Musina municipality is well endowed with tourism potentials that require a proper tourism strategy to afford the benefits to the locals.

Keywords:

• tourism
• socio-economic development
• sustainable tourism development
• community-based natural resource management and sustainability

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to humbly express my gratitude to the entire reviewing staff and the professors who profoundly contributed to the integrity of this paper. I also thank the deputy dean of school of environmental sciences; Dr N. S Nethengwe for the opportunity and platform given to me. I also like to cordially express my appreciations to Prof A Musyoki, Prof B. D. O Odhiambo and Dr T. M Nelwamondo for their unreserved guidance on this study. Sincere regards also goes to Dr Solomon Eghosa Uhunamure for his undying guiding passion. I would also like to heartedly thank SANSA Earth Observation for sponsoring this investigation.

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s)