Unlocking the rural tourism potential of the Limpopo province of South Africa: Some strategic guidelines

Abstract

Inadequate economic restructuring and a decline in agricultural production in South Africa have reduced the economic opportunities of rural communities. They have limited the economic development options of rural areas, rendering older development strategies less viable and forcing many to look for alternative methods to help them survive and prosper. Rural tourism and its associated businesses have emerged among the most popular non-traditional options for rural development, because of their ability to generate income and jobs. This study examines national and international strategies for developing tourism, and investigates the opinions of participants in the tourism industry of the Limpopo province, with a view to identifying the key strategic issues that can ensure the success of rural tourism. The research consisted of a literature study, field surveys, and interviews with policy-makers and administrators, tourism operators, academics and tourists. The results identify rural tourism as a viable development tool for Limpopo province. Six strategic issues were identified as fundamental for its success. It is believed that these guidelines could also be applied to other rural provinces, thus creating a generic strategy for developing rural tourism.

1. Introduction

Rural areas have suffered from the effects of urbanisation and the decline of many traditional industries. Tourism offers an opportunity to revitalise rural areas through the diversification of economic activities (Bennett, 2000), and provides a useful way for restoring regional balance in a country (Schaller, 2001). There has been considerable evidence that more and more people have been visiting and appreciating rural areas, especially since the early part of the previous decade (Hall & Jenkins, 1995). Many rural areas are changing their image and are aggressively marketing aspects of their rural heritage, authentic or otherwise, to would-be urban purchasers (Hopkins, 1998). According to Butler et al. (1998) we are witnessing a change from the passive, low-key use of rural areas for recreation to the explosion of tourism as a highly active and dominant agent of change and control in rural communities.

An increasing number of rural areas and governments have come to realise the economic benefit that accrues to rural areas from tourism development (Butler et al., 1998). Not every rural area or government has, however, taken advantage of this emerging tourism product. South Africa, and the Limpopo province in particular, have yet to capitalise fully on rural tourism.

The White Paper on the development and promotion of tourism in South Africa not only views the tourism sector as a national priority, but also envisages that tourism will be developed in a manner that contributes to the ‘improvement of the quality of life of every South African’ (Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, 1996). Although the White Paper and the Tourism Development Strategy (Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, 1997) consider tourism as a key economic sector in the country, nowhere in any of these important documents is there a specific focus on rural tourism as an industry with the potential to make a positive and lasting impact on the lives of poor rural people. In other words, both documents fall short of recognising rural tourism as a distinct product in its own right, and appreciating its economic role in rural areas.

This article describes rural tourism as a new, vibrant and viable tourism product that is internationally recognised and promoted, but has yet to be adequately recognised and explored in South Africa in the province of Limpopo, where 89 per cent of the population is rural. This makes the province the most rural of the country's nine provinces (Statistics South Africa, 1996). Limpopo province is visited by only 5–6 per cent of the international tourists to South Africa, compared to the Western Cape (58 per cent), Gauteng (55 per cent), KwaZulu-Natal (22–25 per cent), Mpumalanga (19 per cent) and the Eastern Cape (14 per cent) (South African Tourism Board, 2000).

We suggest that the lack of strategic guidelines for rural tourism development could be the main reason for the province's low share, despite its wealth of natural and cultural tourism resources. Rural tourism seems to be the only competitive advantage the province has over coastal and urban provinces. The challenge is therefore to reposition and develop the province into one of the best rural tourism destinations in Africa.

2. Why rural tourism?

2.1 Rural tourism as an internationally recognised tourism product

Rural areas have a special appeal to tourists because of the mystique enshrouding these rural areas with their distinct cultural, historic, ethnic and geographic characteristics (Edgell & Harbaugh, 1993). Tourism and its impact on rural communities are becoming increasingly prominent internationally. Special attention is being paid to tourism development in rural areas, where wildlife and indigenous cultures provide numerous opportunities for tourism, rural development and economic growth (Mahony & Van Zyl, 2002).

Rural tourism is truly global, but little is known about this new tourism product in developing countries (Page & Getz, 1997). It is ironic that rural tourism is well established in most developed countries of Europe, North America and Australasia, while it remains unacknowledged in most developing countries. For instance, the countries that attended a rural tourism seminar and shared their experiences were Australia, Italy, France, Switzerland, China, Netherlands, Spain, Turkey, Romania and Israel (World Tourism Organisation, 1997).

Given the decline in rural economies internationally over the past three decades, it is understandable that much government attention has been given to the economic benefits of tourism, particularly in areas that are struggling to keep pace with, and adapt to, the vagaries of a globalised economy. Tourism development has therefore received increasing recognition as a tool for regional and national economic development. In Japan, which has long been held as a model for many of the developed nations of the west, the countryside has suffered from out-migration. The national and regional governments, together with businesses, have implemented policies to arrest rural population losses by replacing declining industries such as forestry, farming and fishing with rural tourism (Graburn, 1995; Hall & Jenkins, 1995).

Governmental intervention in tourism is widespread. Tourism is being promoted as a source of rural economic growth and employment generation at all levels of government in developed nations, such as Australia, Canada, the European Union, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States (Williams & Shaw, 1988; Hall & Jenkins, 1995; LEADER, 1995); by the former state socialist countries of Eastern Europe (Hall, 1991); and by less developed countries, such as Kenya, Cuba and Sri Lanka; and the Pacific region generally (Hall & Jenkins, 1995). It is beyond any doubt that rural tourism is indeed an internationally acclaimed tourism product.

The goals of rural tourism, such as economic growth and diversification, employment generation, increased investment, population retention, infrastructure and facility provision and conservation are fairly standard policy goals, but the actual strategic process by which they can be achieved is not standard. Little attention has been paid to the objective defining process or to strategy formulation. Although tourism is hailed as a tool for regional development, there is rarely a clear conception of rural tourism or of the role of tourism in rural regions or local communities which could inform strategy or planning (Butler et al., 1998). This is the background against which strategic guidelines for rural tourism development are considered.

Rural tourism is distinctive by its projection of rural life, whether authentic or not (Reid, 1999). It is generally constructed around the built or natural environment, and includes programmes such as cultural festivals and traditional activities that often re-enact the past or provide a flavour of the traditional local or rural culture and its history. Rural tourism brings together the natural and cultural heritage, and this is what differentiates it from nature-based tourism. Local people and their way of life are a key component of rural tourism. There is enough theory to form the basis for the development of rural tourism as an enterprise in its own right (Lane, 1994; Butler et al., 1998). Australia is a leading nation in rural tourism development, and had developed a National Rural Tourism Development Strategy by 1994.

2.2 The relevance of rural tourism to South Africa

Tourism in South Africa has a poor history of involving local communities and previously neglected groups in tourist-related activities. The essence of South Africa's conservation policies under the apartheid government was largely a programme of selecting interesting biological complexes and bestowing a distinct status on them. Although conservation in South Africa was perceived as successful, there was a large element of failure because rural communities had been bypassed and alienated from the conservation effort (World Bank, 1995). Because people had often been forcibly removed from their land to make way for conservation areas there was much anger and bitterness that animals were thought to be more important than people (Handley, 1996). In the past rural communities regarded themselves as passive participants in tourism and considered themselves as objects for tourists to view. The history of community resistance to conservation in these areas has coloured perceptions of both tourism and conservation, with both often perceived as threats. Rural people rightly felt disenfranchised from tourism and conservation activities.

The challenge, therefore, is to rectify the imbalances of the past and open up the tourism industry for participation of the hitherto disadvantaged citizens for the benefit of tourism and conservation, and of the rural community. One way to meet this challenge is through the development and promotion of a new form of tourism, namely rural tourism. The Limpopo Provincial Government has identified eco-tourism as the official tourism product of the province (Department of Finance, Economic Affairs and Tourism, 1999). However, this may not necessarily distinguish Limpopo from other provinces: it is an approach to tourism with which any other province can associate.

While there are many similarities between eco-tourism and rural tourism, eco-tourism is viewed as an approach rather than a product. Eco-tourism as an approach to tourism can be applied to a diverse spectrum of activities such as trails, hotels and game viewing (Hattingh, 1994a: 5; Bewsher & Hugo, 1995: 4; Cater, 1995: 21; Schaller, 2001). Its principles can be practiced in different forms of tourism such as adventure tourism, urban tourism, beach tourism, and of course rural tourism. Rural tourism can be seen as eco-rural tourism or it can stand on its own, and Limpopo province is well suited for this form of tourism.

2.3 What makes rural tourism distinctive?

Despite the problems of defining the concept of ‘rural’, it would be a mistake to deny our commonsense thoughts that rural areas can have distinctive characteristics, or that these can have consequences for social and economic interactions in these areas (Bramwell, 1994: 3). The views and perceptions that people hold of rural areas are different from those they have of urban areas; this is an important starting-point for establishing the distinctiveness of rural tourism.

Lane (1994) discusses the historical continuity in the development of rural tourism and examines some of the key issues that combine to make rural tourism distinctive (see also Butler et al., 1998). Rural tourism should be

	located in rural areas
	functionally rural, that is, built upon the rural world's special features of small-scale enterprise, open space, contact with nature and the natural world, heritage, traditional societies and traditional practices
	rural in scale, in terms of both buildings and settlements
	traditional in character, growing slowly and organically, and connected with local people
	representative of the complex patterns of the rural environment, economy, history and location

It is perhaps time that rural tourism should receive the same recognition as urban tourism, for its potential contribution to rural communities.

3. Overview of rural tourism resource base of Limpopo province

The Limpopo province is predominantly rural, with reasonable amounts of rural tourism resources. However, not every rural area is necessarily suitable for rural tourism: long distances from major getaways, lack of scenic attractions, and lack of tourism infrastructure can mean that rural tourism may not be appropriate for a particular region (Australia Commonwealth Department of Tourism, 1994). Bramwell (1994) believes that there are, and will continue to be, contested opinions on what is and what is not desirable in tourism development in specific rural areas. In Limpopo province tourism has been identified as one of its three economic pillars, along with agriculture and mining (Limpopo Provincial Government, 1999a, 1999b), and the provincial government clearly considers that the province is suitable for rural tourism. Anyumba (2000: 15–25) concurred, pointing out that the regions of South Africa which had been designated in the past as homelands for the Black population were not, and are not, short of outstanding features.

The province is strategically situated at the northernmost tip of South Africa, and is ideally positioned for easy access to African markets and tourist attractions such as the Victoria Falls. Recently the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park, a key strategic initiative for southern Africa; has been established. The Park links the Kruger National Park in South Africa, Gona-re-Zhou in Zimbabwe and Coutada in Mozambique into an integrated unit. It is envisaged that the Transfrontier Park will open up various new tourism opportunities in South Africa, and in Limpopo Province in particular, by facilitating the free flow of tourists between these three countries and providing a range of new experiences for tourists (Mahony & Van Zyl, 2002).

Limpopo Province offers a mosaic of exceptional scenic landscapes, a fascinating and diverse cultural heritage, an abundance of wildlife species and scenic and other nature-based tourism opportunities. It is a land of legends, myths and ancient civilisations. Those in search of history will find many places of archaeological significance that yield relics dating back millions of years (Limpopo Parks and Tourism Board, 2000). There are few places that give one a greater feeling of being in Africa than the Limpopo Province. Endless expanses of undulating indigenous bush, marked by grotesque forms of the baobab trees, wonderful wildlife, a profusion of birds and a fascinating history and cultures truly make it ‘the Land of Legends’. The province portrays the quintessence of untamed Africa (Limpopo Parks and Tourism Board, 2000).

More and more tourists are asking for an authentic African experience. Limpopo Province is ‘the land of legends and romance, where the divide between the past and present is often thinly disguised’ (Limpopo Parks and Tourism Board, December 2002). The province further boasts some of the most exciting tourism destinations and experiences. These include remnants of ancient African kingdoms such as Mapungubwe and Thulamela, cultural or African villages and groups, traditions of the vhaVenda, the Shangaan, the Pedi, the Afrikaners, the Ndebele and the English-speaking people, python dances, Lake Fundudzi, waterfalls, private and national parks and game reserves, ancient towns, Makapan's valley (currently in line for World Heritage status), caves, monuments and museums, resorts (notably Warmbaths/Bela-Bela), Modjadji, the legendary Rain Queen, baobab trees, Venda myths and legends, the Anglo-Boer war and the African Ivory Route. These are just some of the icons of the province.

The Limpopo Province, despite being an emerging tourism destination with a number of well-established attractions (Mahony & Van Zyl, 2002), attracts only approximately 6 per cent of domestic tourists (HSRC, 2001) and 5–6 per cent of the international tourism market. Statistically, the province lags behind others, despite being rich in rural tourism resources. This situation may be compounded by the fact that the province has not capitalised on its competitive advantage – its rural nature. On the other hand, rural tourism has the potential to put the province in the leading position in this new, exciting and viable tourism field.

4. Some key policy issues regarding rural tourism

Although South Africa is defined as an upper middle-income country in per capita terms, the distribution of income is amongst the most unequal in the world. Many households, particularly in rural areas, have limited access to employment opportunities, education, health care, energy, sanitation and clean water (May, 1998). The challenges of addressing rural poverty are immense, and the revitalisation of the rural economy is a key to a better life for all. Recently, the State President launched the Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Strategy, in response to concerns about the stagnation and the decline of rural areas, and rising unemployment levels (South Africa, 2000). Unfortunately, the Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Strategy does not even mention tourism, let alone rural tourism, as one of the economic activities that can help address rural poverty.

However, the National Tourism Development Strategy (Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, 1997) enables most of the weaknesses of tourism in South Africa to be addressed and its objectives to be realised, with the introduction of rural tourism. The weaknesses in the tourism industry identified in the literature and in the research findings of this study include the absence of clear product branding, poor product diversification, lack of community ownership and no spread of benefits to disadvantaged communities. Most of these can be addressed by focusing on rural tourism as a new tourism brand that flourishes mainly in remote and disadvantaged rural areas. To date the lack of a rural tourism development strategy has led to ad hoc individual entrepreneurial activities. The introduction of rural tourism may also consolidate the tourism strength in the country by diversifying tourist attractions.

The ignorance of rural tourism is not only limited to the Limpopo province or to South Africa. In many parts of the world, tourism organisations and their promotion focus on urban areas and resorts, and specific approaches to tourism planning and their application in a rural context have attracted comparatively little attention (Page & Getz, 1997). Rural areas have often been marginalised as sightseeing territories, rather than being viewed as distinct and important tourism products or a separate market segment.

Rural tourism does have some disadvantages for rural areas, despite its benefits and viability as an economic development agent (Luloff et al., 1994). Tourism is not a quick fix for economic ills. Like rural manufacturing, it can put rural communities in competition with one other. Employment in the tourism industry, like many other service sector positions, remains among the lowest paid around the world. Jobs associated with tourism are often seasonal and profit is made only for a specific part of the year (Wilson et al, 2001). Nonetheless, rural tourism remains one of the few viable economic options for rural communities (Fesenmaier et al., 1995).

Research literature on how best to facilitate the development of tourism has burgeoned in recent years. A view which draws heavily on the economic literature argues that tourism is best developed by helping and creating individual businesses and letting them compete in the market (Eadington & Redman, 1991). This has been criticised because it views tourism and its related businesses as isolated from communities and their issues; because it does not recognise the interdependence of the different sectors, individuals and groups involved in tourism; and because most small tourist businesses, especially those in rural areas, do not individually have the resources to promote themselves or their community as a tourist product (Palmer & Bejou, 1995).

Opposing this view is the community approach to tourism development (Murphy, 1985). This approach argues that tourism is a community product, and it is therefore necessary to have community and local capabilities – such as community leadership and formal and informal networks – directly involved in tourism development and promotion efforts (Murphy, 1985). While the community approach may be an effective way to develop and promote tourism, creating the necessary inter-community cooperation and collaboration is a complex and difficult process. Businesses are asked to share resources while simultaneously competing (Jamal & Getz, 1995). Local and provincial governments, and indeed the private sector, may see collaborating to develop tourism as risky. Mahony & Van Zyl (2002) consider that the reluctance of the private sector to invest in tourism in rural South Africa can be attributed to the complexities and uncertainties associated with land ownership, poor infrastructure support, the limitations of the tourism market and a largely risk-averse financial community.

After having analysed the concept and issues concerning rural tourism and its potential role in the field of tourism – specifically in the Limpopo province – the research problem can thus be formulated as how rural tourism can be fully integrated in a well-structured way into the community. The purpose of this study is therefore to identify and examine key issues that can help rural communities to successfully develop tourism.

5. Methodology

The methodology used in this study consisted of:

	a comparative literature study of international rural tourism, with special emphasis on the Australian strategy for promoting rural tourism
	a field survey among the tourism community

5.1 Comparative analysis

South Africa competes with many other attractive destinations. It is therefore important to understand how other countries market themselves and undertake their tourism research. The main source of international information from which comparative data were obtained has been Australia. There are many similarities between the countries. Both Australia and South Africa have far-out, rural, sparsely populated areas and a large rural population component. A comparison between the tourism industries of South Africa and Australia is more relevant than comparisons with other countries (HSRC, 2001).

Moreover, Australia is a model for South African tourism. Australia is one of the few countries with a formal development strategy for rural tourism; and the World Travel and Tourism Council (1998) advised the South African government to take note of highly successful travel and tourism promotional models such as that of Australia.

The literature reviewed in this study was thus derived mainly from official South African tourism policy documents, using a rural tourism perspective, and was compared with international tourism strategies, in particular the Australian Commonwealth National Rural Tourism Development Strategy (1994).

5.2 Empirical surveys

Having analysed the salient issues fundamental to rural tourism development by scrutinising international and national literature sources, what remained was to develop a local strategy, not for the people of Limpopo province but by the people of Limpopo province themselves. South Africa has for too long had a history of ‘top-down’ tourism planning, aimed at a small sector of the population and geared mainly towards capital-intensive traditional tourism. With the new political dispensation, much emphasis has been placed on public participation in decision-making. Although careful consideration should be given to foreign expertise and models, public consultation and local expertise need to be included, not as an afterthought, but as primary objectives.

The researchers used local individual interviews and focus-group discussions (unstructured interviews) to obtain in-depth information from the respondents who were selected randomly from interested and affected parties. Denzin & Lincoln (1994: 361) argue that the unstructured interview is one of the most practical means of trying to understand one's fellow human beings. It attempts to understand the complex behaviour of members of society without imposing any prior categorisation that may limit the field of inquiry.

The respondents were categorised into four groups: policy-makers and administrators (officials of the tourism department and the local tourism board); tour operators taking visitors to cultural villages and nature and game-based parks; academics from higher education; and domestic and international tourists to Limpopo. The unstructured interviews explored how tourism developed and the respondents' understanding of the reasons for its success and failure. Respondents were asked to share their views on the salient strategic developmental issues in rural tourism development. The primary method of data collection has been the unstructured interview technique undertaken by the researcher himself.

6. Results

The literature study and fieldwork survey identified a set of issues to be investigated. Six strategic issues were found to be the most important for successful rural tourism in the Limpopo Province:

	product and enterprise development
	accreditation and industry standards
	education and training
	industry and community leadership
	transport and infrastructure
	funding and financial administration.

6.1 Product and enterprise development

‘Product’ refers to the actual attraction or service being offered. Its successful marketing is inextricably linked to the tourism enterprises developing the product. For this reason ‘product and enterprise’ is linked together in one strategic guideline. It is recognised in the tourism literature that successful tourism involves persuading tourists to stay longer than a simple visit to view an attraction. When a region has a Victoria Falls or other special tourist attraction, it is relatively easy to attract visitors for a prolonged time by providing additional secondary attractions and tourism-orientated activities around the central feature. In the absence of such special attractions, and owing to the dispersed character of attractions in rural areas these destinations find it more difficult to attract visitors. This also seems to be a problem in the Limpopo province. It has been shown that as a matter of strategy visitors need to view dispersed attraction points, not as isolated from and competing with each other, but in combination. Tourism packages must include all aspects of the environment, its cultural life and natural (scenic) features. In the absence of a particular object of attention, tourists who visit a region want to go for the ‘total experience’. As a point of departure it is thus strategically important to identify the major and ancillary attractions and to draw up a comprehensive supply inventory, including every possible place, activity or happening of interest or of practical value or assistance to tourists, to construct the various kinds of tourism packages that will provide the much-needed total ‘Limpopo province experience’. The aim is not to show places only, but to let the tourists feel and experience foreign cultures and environments.

A tourism package thus implies much more than the grouping of a set of points of interest. Cooperation with other businesses in assembling suitable tour packages, incorporating accommodation, attractions, transport, restaurants and retail outlets can provide a better eco-tourism product than the traditional approach of (sightseeing) mass tourism, and thus compete successfully with it. All the respondents to the survey, and particularly the tour operators, stressed the need to join industry associations to access benefits such as networking, information dissemination and lobbying strength. Cooperative networks among operators with similar products or operators in the same geographic area can result in access to larger markets for tourists, and thus prolong the visitors' stay.

A critical success factor that emerged from eco-tourism studies was the value of small businesses, which started at a manageable level and scope and then grew slowly. The lending of huge amounts of capital has led more than often in the past to disaster. Individuals using the natural and cultural assets of the environment in a modest way have normally shown balanced and stable growth. The majority of tour operators in the Limpopo province's rural tourism industry are small businesses. As a result, the typical concerns and constraints to small business are also relevant to rural tourism. A strategic goal should thus be to encourage individual operators to work cooperatively to develop multi-product packages, and for small accommodation businesses to form cooperative networks to be capable to cater for bigger tourist groups.

While it is true that products should primarily be developed according to expressed demand (using as guidelines trends in participation to existing destinations), it is also true that new products can rejuvenate the market. This is especially true if the new product is unique. The research has identified that for a tourism enterprise or area to be successful in the absence of world-renowned attractions, it is essential that the tourism product be innovative, diverse and different from that of its competitors. Diversifying tourism products and matching a specific product offered to a specific market are critical for commercial success. Developing and marketing products which provide a specifically African experience are often an important stimulus for new business (Kirsten & Rogerson, 2002). The majority of respondents felt that the province is ideally positioned to offer an authentic African experience through comprehensive rural tourism packages.

It is important to realise that people visit a place because of its image. Las Vegas, the Himalayas, Tahiti – each has its own image that attracts visitors. The creation of a favourable tourism image is vital to the success of a region. There is a real danger in creating exotic attractions because they have been successful elsewhere. The safest way to proceed seems to be to develop vernacular attractions typical of the region. Such development is not costly and as it is ‘ecologically friendly’, its upkeep is usually simple. As something that is part of the natural surroundings it does not need extravagant additional capital or energy input to keep it in good order. The same applies for ‘cultural-friendly’ attractions. Most of the respondents indicated that the existing socio-cultural milieu needs to be incorporated as part of the tourism package. Borrowing and incorporating foreign elements frustrates the authentic character of the destination.

6.2 Quality control: accreditation and industry standards

South African tourism enterprises face the challenge of competing against sophisticated international service delivery. In many cases, the quality of the service delivery may inhibit product diversification and the provision of a unique African experience, which could open up new opportunities for rural tourism operators. Instead, what happens is that certain South African enterprises focus on providing the type of quality hotel product that matches international standards. This ‘uniformity of product offering inhibits the development of a unique African or rural product or service’ (Cluster Consortium, 1999). For example, the tourist equivalent of accommodation in typical African houses is the ‘rondavel’. Corporate tourism development consortiums, however, have often developed these units to fit the international standards of hotel accommodation–completely ignoring the character and true cultural value of these units (Anyumba, 2001). A balance between the authentic vernacular and the conveniences required by tourists needs to be found.

The responsibility of accreditation and the generation of industry standards in the tourism industry lie primarily with the South African Tourism Grading Council. In improving the capacity of the rural Limpopo province to attract international and domestic tourists, it should be a priority to develop excellence and professionalism without sacrificing the cultural heritage. This therefore calls for including all elements of rural tourism in the portfolio of the Grading Council, to help in creating the reputation of rural areas as authentic, yet high quality tourism destinations.

Quality control of tourism in South Africa has followed the lead of high-density tourism regions where accreditation systems have concentrated on mass tourism and accommodation establishments. Activities such as picnic sites, farm stays, scenic drives, caravan parks and camping grounds have been ignored by accreditation schemes in South Africa. A notable exception is hiking trails, where the South African Hiking Trail Owners' Association (SAHTOA) has been implementing an accreditation scheme for the past five years (SAHTOA, 2002). At present only five overnight trails of a total of 56 trails in Limpopo have been accredited according to this system (Hugo, 2003). However, most tourism operators who were interviewed warned that any quality control system that was instituted should not prejudice new and young rural tourism operators who do not have an equal capacity in financial and human resources to that of established operators.

6.3 Education and training

Tourism depends almost entirely on skilled and innovative human resources for delivering quality service (Cluster Consortium, 1999). Our research found that many small-scale tourist operators in rural areas had little or no experience either in hospitality or in small business operation. The management of the majority of cultural villages have less than five years' experience in the industry. Education and training are urgently needed to ensure the delivery of quality service.

In planning for tourism training, the characteristics of the local industry have to be taken into account. Small businesses, such as the majority in the Limpopo province, often lack the staffing flexibility of larger operations. Lack of time is one of the reasons why tourism operators absent themselves from training. They suggested that teaching materials such as radio cassettes, videos and self-study kits would be helpful.

The academics, policymakers and administrators who were interviewed insisted that meeting the educational and training needs of tourist guides, rural tourism operators, rural communities, local government authorities, tourism associations and development organisations were essential for successful rural tourism in Limpopo province. The means to achieve this are:

	encouraging industry training for rural tourism operators
	establishing educational programmes to increase the tourism skill base of local government and economic development officers
	distributing a simplified code of conduct for visitors of the rural tourism destinations
	working with academic institutions on developing relevant and effective training materials and courses that encourage best practices and principles to ensure that tourism development will be sustainable and keep abreast of new demand patterns

Compilers of training programmes should recognise the value of the input of local rural expertise (with or without formal training). Tourists are normally not excited by an academic or technical report on environmental conditions, but retain memories of the everyday way of life of people and their surroundings. Tourists (and especially eco-tourists) are in search of enlightening experiences rather than being (semi-formally) taught while on vacation. Formal training courses for tour guides often lack the informal touch that triggers people's imagination. Local inhabitants are in a unique position to convey this, and often constitute better guides than those from outside. Rural communities can seize this opportunity to enhance the local economic impact of rural tourism.

6.4 Organisational structures and community leadership

Industry leadership, no matter how committed, cannot work effectively without community support and involvement. The rural tourism industry's decentralised nature, its small business-like character and diversity of its products highlight the need for a cohesive leadership structure, which can represent the interests of rural tourism operators as a distinct industry sector. A strong leadership body (such as a Tourism Committee within a local Chamber of Commerce or Integrated Development Planning) could, on behalf of its members:

	market rural tourism products locally, provincially, nationally and internationally
	develop and monitor accreditation standards and encourage quality service
	liaise with government, tourism and non-tourism bodies on rural tourism issues
	assist with issues such as sponsorship, insurance, education and training, information centres and lobbying

A vital strategic guideline is that the local community should not only be involved in the tourism sector; they should own it.

6.5 Transport and other infrastructure

Tourism is all about people moving between places, and requires a good infrastructure of all forms of communication. Rural tourism products are often found in relatively remote regions with poor transport facilities and other infrastructure. Improved transport facilities will not only benefit rural tourism, but will also ensure that the province is a true gateway to Africa. Respondents regarded the general decline in the condition of the Limpopo rural roads in recent times as a major hindrance to tourism. Lack of proper basic services such as water, electricity, telecommunications and road signage also hamper tourism activities in this rural area. The development and upkeep of infrastructure should form an important part of the tourism strategic plan. Our research findings and literature review identified infrastructure development as being primarily the responsibility of government. Cooperation between all interested parties and, most importantly, public–private cooperation, are essential.

A strategic concept in eco-tourism is that of ‘use what you have’, instead of developing new products. This is especially relevant in rural areas where the availability of capital is often a prohibitive restriction on tourism development. Recently, redundant railway lines in Limpopo were utilised for creating a network of trails for hiking, cycling, wheelchairs and roller-skating. This followed the example of the ‘Rails-to-Trails’ movement in the United States and similar projects in various parts of Europe, Australia and elsewhere. The thousands of kilometres of paths that have developed over centuries in the African veld should also be investigated as the foundation of a network of hiking trails for townspeople who would like to visit rural villages and landscapes.

Most respondents believed that this is the responsibility of the government, particularly at provincial and local level. However, experience in the rest of South Africa has shown that the development of hiking trails by private initiative has led to lucrative business and that this could also be achieved in Limpopo.

6.6 Funding and financial management

It is clear that the provision of enough funds for rural tourism development is a strategic issue. All the issues discussed above need funding. A strategy for acquiring funding from the private sector (and if possible from abroad) seems essential in the light of the restricted budgets of all government departments and the poverty of rural areas.

However, when financing projects, very often ‘small is beautiful’. This was discussed above in the context of eco-tourism. Projects very often develop more effectively if they are initiated at an ‘appropriate’ level – of such a magnitude that the local people can handle it effectively within their own available expertise, manpower and capital. This does not necessitate huge loans, and averts the danger that a new project may have to raise a cash flow right from the start sufficient to cover the interest on the loan.

Funding requires a very special place in any strategic plan for rural tourism development, in that it requires the raising of funds from within a relatively poor community. It also needs a system of guidance for local entrepreneurs on day-to-day financial administration.

7. Conclusion

The study of tourism literature has proved that rural tourism is an industry segment that warrants special attention. In areas such as the Limpopo province such development will not ‘happen by itself’. Pro-active initiatives through the implementation of the strategy, as expounded, will be necessary. It is a relatively new product with a great potential that can revitalise and diversify the rural economy and counteract the global trend towards urbanisation and depopulation of rural areas. Most developed countries, particularly Australia, are ahead as far as rural tourism development and promotion are concerned. Despite its good intentions, the South African Tourism Policy Framework does not explicitly identify rural tourism as an industry segment that has a potential to address rural problems. As a result rural communities still remain neglected in tourism development initiatives, which reinforces an observation made in the Tourism White Paper of 1996. One may conclude that rural communities do not stand to gain unless specific policies or strategies are developed to target them.

This study emphasises the important role of rural tourism as part of the economic recovery and development of rural areas. The suitability for rural tourism of the Limpopo province, with its rural character and rich cultural heritage, is also documented.

Tourism is landscape-orientated, and the environment and the people surrounding tourist attractions constitute the tourist destination. Rural tourism involves not just individual businesses, but the environment and the community surrounding tourism businesses. The development, promotion, marketing and management of rural tourism often require a cooperative and cohesive effort because of the integrated nature of tourism. The community or area as a whole and its image must be marketed as a tourism landscape, not simply a set of attractions.

Rural tourism appears to be a realistic option for the Limpopo province, but will require proper planning and guidelines to be successful economically, culturally and environmentally. It is believed that, should the Tourism Department and Authorities of the Limpopo province utilise the strategic guidelines outlined in this report, the Limpopo province may have a bright rural tourism future. Without it the tourism sector will remain a haphazard conglomeration of a number of small individual entrepreneurs, trying to do their own thing without realising the immense potential of the area.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Leon Hugo

formerly master's student, Department of Geography, University of Pretoria