Topic: Tourism
Introduction
Local government tourism represents the third sphere of public sector tourism. While national and provincial tourism organisations are chiefly responsible for the design and implementation of tourism strategies and national and international marketing campaigns, it is the lesser-known local government authorities that often shoulder the responsibility for promoting and supporting the local tourism products.
Although driven by the private sector, and firmly based in local communities and organisations, Local Government impacts on tourism products in how they manage their socio-economic environment and how they provide services to their communities. Local government also has significant impact not only the business environment but also on the natural and cultural resources in and around tourism destinations.
Local government also has a crucial role to play in providing leadership and the necessary planning to make sure that their communities and local businesses get the most out of tourism and to minimise any negative effects it might have. Just as a visitor’s holiday can be enhanced or spoiled by the behaviour of local residents, so too can residents have their lives enriched or degraded depending on how well managed tourism experiences are. This is highlighted in Local Governments role in contributing to 2010 World Cup success, where for example municipalities need to:
- Ensure friendly and efficient traffic officers.
- Provide efficient waste removal and management.
- Issuing of vehicle license disks for tour operators.
- Managing attractions such as sports stadium, convention centres, parks, events and other amenities.
- Ensure that attractions in their areas, such as restaurants are clean and providing their services in a healthy environment.
- Ensure that the use road signs function in helping tourists find their bearings and identify places of interest.
- Provide updated and reliable information in marketing their local tourist attractions.
- Assist in preventing crime and creating a safe environment.
- Use the event to support meaningful economic activity such as encourage SMME accommodation and trading stalls.
Definition
As highlighted by Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, at the opening of the local government tourism indaba, Cape Town in 2009 , the importance of the role of local government in the successful growth of the tourism industry cannot be overemphasised and the examples of its pivotal role are many. Local government is an engine room that drives the planning and management of South Africa's natural and cultural assets.
Key Issues
- Limited understanding by National or Provincial with regards to Local Government tourism challenges.
- Limited National or Provincial resources dedicated towards supporting local government tourism to ensure the appropriate oversight, investment and maintenance of infrastructure and services and capacity building programmes for tourism.
- Limited access to national and provincial information for tourism planning such as access to local and regional trends (research).
- Lack of partnership or collective approach to planning for tourism or destination management within Provinces and Municipalities, such as a review red tape around the signage; to provide clearer guidelines and expedite signage application and approval processes.
- Limited input into how relevant legislation will support local tourism development, such as grading of establishments and standardized tariffs, but ensuring that in any responses the principle of differentiation needs to be included, especially for local government, otherwise the failure of “one-size” fits-all-policy making will continue.
- Limited competence in tourism planning and support at a local level such as uniform regulations, e.g. rezoning costs and conditions.
- Limited access to case studies and knowledge platforms to share and retrieve examples of good practice, such as guidelines, booklets etc to assist aspiring and emerging tourism product owners and to support transformation of the tourism industry.
Critical Success Factors
Local Government places high priority on encouraging and supporting Local Economic Development in particular, the tourism sector as it contributes to the social, cultural, economic and environmental well-being of an area in the following ways:
- Economic benefits from visitor spending in the area create employment and facilities, retail outlets, and services that the local population could not sustain on its own
- Tourism can help revitalise small municipalities and create a sense of local identity and pride
- Support for more vibrant and active business and local communities.
- Attract events that give both residents and visitors the opportunity to celebrate and experience what is special and unique about their community.
- Promotes a brand provides an experience that will attract new investment and new residents, both locally and globally.
While the benefits of supporting tourism exist municipalities are also under increasing funding pressure. Simply meeting the costs of essential infrastructure and maintaining their resources is expensive. Together with all other competing socio-economic development priorities and tourism can start to seem like a discretionary activity.
Local Government recognises that it is only through the ongoing co-operation and collaboration between the various spheres of government to fully and effectively maximise value from the tourism sector and to achieve the National tourism aims and objectives.
