The developmental impacts of backpacker tourism in South Africa
- Published: July 2004
- Volume 60 , pages 283–299, ( 2004 )
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- Gustav Visser 1
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South Africa has recorded considerable growth in tourism activity over the past decade. In the light of the vast range of economic sectors that gain from tourism development, the national government has instituted a range of incentives and initiatives to stimulate tourism development, with the expansion of tourism infrastructure aimed at high-end tourists forming a key component of this strategy. Little investment has, however, been made in tourism infrastructure targeting those markets that prefer to avoid high-end tourism facilities. In this respect backpacker tourists and their preferred accommodation type, backpacker hostels, are a case in point. Despite backpacker tourism being largely ignored in national tourism development initiatives, backpacker tourism is increasingly popular in South Africa. This paper focuses on the recent proliferation of backpacker tourism in this country and seeks to convey the results of the first nation-wide exploration in this regard. The paper has two main objectives. Firstly, it seeks to present broad-ranging empirical data concerning this tourist cohort and their preferred accommodation type- backpacker hostels — in the South African context. Secondly, it aims to demonstrate why backpacker tourists and hostels hold much potential for local development initiatives in South Africa. In the light of the findings of this study, the paper concludes that the expansion of backpacker tourism to this country might form an appropriate means by which to achieve a range of local development objectives.
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Visser, G. The developmental impacts of backpacker tourism in South Africa. GeoJournal 60 , 283–299 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:GEJO.0000034735.26184.ae
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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1023/B:GEJO.0000034735.26184.ae
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Backpacker tourism can have a positive impact in developing countries
By crn | 07 June 2013
Drawing on his research into how backpackers impact on local host communities, Dr Hampton found that this type of tourism can be highly effective in alleviating poverty and bring more development benefits than ‘conventional’ mass tourism. Small businesses benefitted more from backpacker tourists, he found.
Dr Hampton’s book – the first to analyse backpackers in detail across the developing world – considers the different phases of backpacker tourism, beginning with an analysis of its origins with the ‘hippy’ overland trail to India, before going on to focus on the emergence of modern backpackers.
It then considers the economic impacts of backpackers on host communities, making use of extensive case study material from Asia, Latin America and Africa.
Dr Hampton said: ‘There has been a phenomenal growth in backpacker tourism, from the overland routes to India in the 1960s to present-day backpacker tourism right across the less developed world.
‘My research examined the economic impact of backpacker tourism in developing countries in detail and found, for the first time, how this type of tourism can be highly positive for local economies.
‘I found that backpacker tourism is very embedded in local communities with strong linkages to small businesses, and that less of the economic benefits leak away than with conventional tourism.’
Dr Hampton is Senior Lecturer in Tourism Management at the University’s Kent Business School and Director of its Centre for Tourism in Islands and Coastal Areas. Backpacker Development and Economic Development: Perspectives from the Less Developed World is published by Routledge http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415594189/ ).
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Abstract. Alternative tourism, particularly backpacker and volunteer tourism, has developed significantly in recent times. This rapid development has contributed to criticism of potential negative effects, notably of the environmental, cultural, economic and social impacts associated with backpacker tourism.
Within backpacker tourism literature, there is a research gap concerning hosts' and guests' perceptions of the impacts of backpacker tourism. According to some researchers ( Richards and Wilson, 2004b , Scheyvens, 2002 ), there is a limited knowledge on the impacts of backpacker tourism on local communities in less developed countries (LDCs).
Supattra Sroypetch is a lecturer in the Department of Tourism at Khon Kaen University, Thailand. She has recently completed her PhD in Tourism at the University of Otago. Her PhD thesis titled 'Host and guest perceptions of backpacker tourism impacts on local communities: A case study of the Yasawa Group of Islands, Fiji'.Her research interests include backpacker tourism, tourism impacts and ...
Backpacking is an increasingly popular, but sometimes controversial, activity in protected areas. Very few studies have examined the impacts associated with backpacker tourism in environmentally ...
This volume provides a focused review of the economic development impacts of backpacker tourism in developing regions furthering knowledge on how backpacker tourism can play a crucial role in development strategies in these areas. First, it reviews the origins of the backpackers with a detailed examination of their "hippy" predecessors on the ...
Courtney-Clarke, F., 2001: Economic impacts of backpacker tourism in Cape Town. Unpublished Honours Research Report, Department of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, University of Cape Town. Gibbons, S.M. and Selvarajah, C.T., 1994: A study of the international backpacker visitor to New Zealand: building a profile to assess value and ...
As a consequence, the tourism sector is now the fourth-largest industry in South Africa, supporting more than 1,200 hotels, 2,000 guest houses and 8,000 restaurants. This expansion far outstrips the annual growth rate of the economy (Visser and Van Huyssteen, 1999). It is well known that tourist spending both directly and indirectly affects a ...
The sampled backpacker hostels maintained backpackers largely explains this difference. aa total of 25 1 permanent staff member, of whom 115 (46%) Backpacker tourists in South Africa are generally young. were male and 136 (54%) female. In terms of the age struc- men (52%) and women (48%), with 38% in the 21-25 years.
A survey of 400 backpackers is conducted within Cape Coast, a major tourism hub in Ghana, West Africa. Supporting seven out of eight hypotheses based on PLS-SEM, social identity has a positive effect on sustainable behavior, which in turn positively affects satisfaction suggesting that the more backpackers identify themselves with this group ...
Abstract. South Africa has recorded considerable growth in tourism activity over the past decade. In the light of the vast range of economic sectors that gain from tourism development, the national government has instituted a range of incentives and initiatives to stimulate tourism development, with the expansion of tourism infrastructure aimed ...
For backpacker tourism on the Yasawa Islands in Fiji, a South Pacific island nation, Sroypetch (2016) reported that backpackers brought both active and passive changes to the sociocultural sphere. On the positive side, the hosts agreed that backpacker tourism helps revitalize local cultural practices.
Backpacker tourism is compared with conventional mass tourism, discussing the leakage of foreign exchange earnings, issues of local control, ownership and participation, and the political economy of who gains or loses from tourism in less developed countries. ... further work on economic impacts including backpacker multipliers; and an ...
The impact of backpacker tourism is a contentious subject (Cohen, 2003). In comparison to international mass tourism, which is actively promoted by national governments in LDCs, ...
environmental impacts of backpacker tourism. Backpackers believe that they generate a higher extent of negative environmental impacts on the destination than those perceived by their hosts.
A new book by Dr Mark Hampton reveals that backpacker tourism can play a crucial role in development strategies in areas such as South East Asia, Africa and Latin America.. Drawing on his research into how backpackers impact on local host communities, Dr Hampton found that this type of tourism can be highly effective in alleviating poverty and bring more development benefits than ...
There has been a phenomenal growth of backpacker tourism from the overland routes to India in the 1960s, to present-day backpacker tourism across the less developed world. As a result there has been significant economic development impacts of backpacker tourism upon local communities especially in areas with the largest concentrations of backpackers (South and South-East Asia particularly ...
Backpacking is a form of low-cost, independent travel, which often includes staying in inexpensive lodgings and carrying all necessary possessions in a backpack. Once seen as a marginal form of travel undertaken only through necessity, it has become a mainstream form of tourism. While backpacker tourism is generally a form of youth travel ...
Despite backpacker tourism being largely ignored in national tourism development initiatives, backpacker tourism is increasingly popular in South Africa. This paper focuses on the recent proliferation of backpacker tourism in this country and seeks to convey the results of the first nation-wide exploration in this regard.
Backpacker tourists in the Ubud tourism area impact the economy, socio-culture, and the environment. The economic sector's impact includes the growth and development of local culinary businesses, tourism businesses in the field of cheap accommodation, the development of natural tourism businesses such as rafting, tracking, and cycling, which ...
There has been a phenomenal growth of backpacker tourism from the overland routes to India in the 1960s, to present-day backpacker tourism across the less developed world. As a result there has been significant economic development impacts of backpacker tourism upon local communities especially in areas with the largest concentrations of backpackers (South and South-East Asia particularly ...
Abstract While backpacker social identity remains an important theme among tourism researchers, its influence on sustainable behaviors has received limited attention. We examine the impact of backpacker social identity on sustainable behavior based on both a structural modeling approach and regression analysis. A survey of 400 backpackers is conducted within Cape Coast, a major tourism hub in ...
The mutual gaze enacts both hosts and guests. This paper expands the literature relating to the impact perspective of backpacker tourism. It investigates how hosts and backpackers perceive the ...
DOI: 10.1016/J.IMIC.2016.09.004 Corpus ID: 132295501; The mutual gaze: Host and guest perceptions of socio-cultural impacts of backpacker tourism: A case study of the Yasawa Islands, Fiji
Potential Impacts of Bikepacking Tourism and International Bikepacking Races. There are both positive and negative impacts of bikepacking as a form of international travel. First, international tourism of any form brings economic benefits to the host country or countries. ... Similar to backpackers, the bikepacking community is made of serious ...