Abstract
The core of South Africa tourism industry is based on wildlife tourism. Private game reserves and game farms which forms part of wildlife tourism constitute most of the wildlife products in South Africa. On these private reserves and game farms, hunting is one of the major income generators for product owners. The aim of this study is to analyse the economic impact of hunting on the regional economies of three of South Africa’s most important hunting provinces. The study used economic multipliers, input-output analysis, and related modelling processes through input-output (supply-use) tables and social accounting matrices (SAM). The results differed significantly for the three provinces, with Limpopo receiving the biggest impact (R2.6 billion) and the Free State having the highest multiplier (2.08). The geographical location of the game farms, the number of farms per province and the species available all influenced the magnitude of the economic impact of hunters over and above the traditional determinants of economic impact analysis. The implication of the research is that it will help product owners in the development of game farms or hunting products, contribute to policy formulation, especially for government decisions on what products to offer where, and how to create more jobs.
Highlights
Wildlife-based tourism, including hunting, is attracting increasing interest from governments, the tourism industry and researchers alike
A game farm is defined as land that is adequately fenced, contains a variety of species that can be used for hunting, meat production and live game sales, and provides infra- and supra-structures for wildlife tourists (Van der Merwe, Saayman & Krugell, 2004:106)
Van der Merwe et al (2004:106) define biltong hunting as a cultural activity, during which wildlife is hunted with a rifle, bow or similar weapon to produce a variety of meat products, such as biltong and salamis
Summary
Wildlife-based tourism, including hunting, is attracting increasing interest from governments, the tourism industry and researchers alike. The number of game farms in South Africa has increased sharply since the early 1990s, and at the time of writing was estimated to be more than 9,000 (Boddington, 2010:200; Mabunda, 2008:82). This translates into 14.7 million hectares (Van Hoven, 2005). Van der Merwe et al (2004:106) define biltong hunting as a cultural activity, during which wildlife is hunted with a rifle, bow or similar weapon to produce a variety of meat (venison) products, such as biltong and salamis. Trophy hunting is an activity whereby wildlife is hunted with a rifle, a bow or a similar weapon, primarily for horns
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
