Township Tourism in South Africa – A Successful Tool for Poverty Alleviation?

Abstract

Abstract Tourism is one of South Africa’s fastest growing sectors. Pro-Poor Tourism (PPT) is an approach to tourism development that results in increased net benefits for poor people. It enhances the linkages between tourism businesses and poor people, so that tourism’s contribution to poverty reduction is increased. The South African Township Tourism Organisation tries to implement PPT by providing tourists with the chance to learn about the country and its history in an authentic way. The authors took a sample of Tour Operators registered with Tourism South Africa in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria that include the two biggest townships Khayelitsha and Soweto. They used in-depth interviews to identify the kind of tours offered and the extent to which local communities are involved in and benefit from these tours. Results show that in terms of direct poverty alleviation township tourism is considered to be only moderately successful. The tour operators emphasised the need for more social investment and for local government to play an active role in encouraging the employment of more local people.