Tourism's Potential to Fly South Africa, Clipped by Greed

Authors Avatar

Tourism’s Potential to Fly South Africa, Clipped by Greed

Upon arrival in the St Lucia-Hluhluwe area (a prime tourism district) for research, I was certain that the beauty of the area had to be shared with family. I started mapping up the possibility of a future family trip back into this area; the accommodation, the feeding arrangements, and other activities offered by the tourist district. Just the basics added up to scaring figures, too big for my working class pocket – and certainly a fortune not any other working class and ordinary South African. I was saddened to realize that tourism (as an intangible consumption) will for a long time remain a luxury, for which, the common man and woman is deliberately priced out (sounds like a conspiracy?) – for greed and I am not sure what else. Firstly, are the exorbitant prices called for by the operators in the tourist district really called for? Is this the best way to run and grow the tourism industry? All the talk about the tourism industry being an economic sector that could spearhead rural development and reduce poverty in under-privileged communities will remain just that – a talk, until such a time when the pricing issue is resolved. As it stands, South Africa’s tourism industry has it all wrong, suffocating its own potential for growth through the greed of a few operators.

Join now!

The pricing regimes of the prime tourism district are obviously meant for the international tourist coming from countries that enjoy a higher currency exchange rate. The logic is to make a killer out of these visitors. In due course, local tourism is highly inhibited and discouraged. It is also very likely that the lower earners from the targeted countries are also denied entry into these high price zones. By so doing, the tourist district creates a muzzle on its potential to grow. It is like clipping a bird’s wings for it to fly faster. It is a pity that this ...

This is a preview of the whole essay