5.2 Visitors
5.2.1 Demographic profiles
Table 5.1 Nationality of visitors (in %)
Nationality
Ezulwini (n=100)
Tala (n=100)
Total (n=200)
USA 11 2 6.5
Australian - 3 1.5
British 4 3 3.5
Canadian 18 - 9
French 15 - 7.5
Indian - 3 1.5
Japanese - 4 2
Kenyan - 1 0.5
Nigerian - 1 0.5
Philippine - 3 1.5
South African 48 69 58.5
Sri Lakan - 8 4
Swedish 4 - 2
Taiwanese - 3 1.5
Table 5.1 illustrates that 48% of the respondents to the Ezulwini Private Park and 69% of the respondents to the Tala Private Park were South African. Similarly, Luxner (2005) reported that the majority (60%) of the guests visiting the Kwantu Private Game Reserve, located in South Africa were domestic tourists.
The first democratic elections took place during 1994 and only 3.9 million foreign visitors arrived in the country (Brand South Africa, 2008). According to Allen and Brennan (2004), the number of European visitors visiting South Africa in 1999 rose by 4% to 334 226 compared to
250 000 visitors in 1995. This indicates the positive impact that the demise of apartheid has had on international tourism. The international visitors (52%) visiting Ezulwini Private Park consisted mainly of American (55.77%) and European visitors (44.23%). American visitors were defined as respondents that resided either in America or in Canada. European visitors were defined as respondents that resided either in Britain, France and Sweden. Van Eeden (2004) similarly revealed that approximately 18 000 bed-nights were sold each year at the Shamwari Game Reserve located in the Eastern Cape, with the vast majority of international visitors residing either in Europe or North America. The majority of these foreign visitors purchased packages in the home country through selected tour operators who market Shamwari as part of a Garden Route trip (Van Eeden, 2004).
Similarly, in this study, the international visitors visiting Ezulwini Private Park also purchased packages in their home country through selected tour operators. Ezulwini Private Park is used as a stop-over for visitors who were travelling to destinations such as Kosi Bay Nature Reserve and Sodwana Bay towards the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Park, Richards Bay, Ballito, Umhlanga Rocks and Durban. In contrast, the international visitors (31%) visiting the Tala Private Park consisted mainly of Asian visitors (67.74%). Asian visitors were categorised as respondents that resided either in India, Japan, Sri Lanka, Philippines or Taiwan.
It would seem that Tala Private Park as a destination within South Africa has been effectively targeting Asian countries.
Table 5.2 South African visitors from different provinces (in %) Province Ezulwini
(n=48)
Tala (n=69)
Total (n=117)
Free State - 2.90 1.45
Gauteng 10.42 5.80 8.11
KwaZulu-Natal 66.67 89.86 78.26
North West Province - 1.45 0.72
Western Cape 22.92 - 11.46
Allen and Brennan (2004) stated that domestic tourism plays a considerable economic role than the overseas sector in South Africa. They further asserted that KwaZulu-Natal is the most popular destination for domestic visitors. KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and Mpumalanga are three key provinces which account for 64% of total trips in respect of source travel and
correspondingly receive 60% of the domestic tourism trade (South African Tourism, 2004). In most countries the vast majority of tourists were domestic tourists (Shaw and Williams, 2002).
Nationally, DEAT (1996) and the KwaZulu-Natal provincial Department of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Tourism (DEAAT) (2001) affirm that domestic tourism serves as an essential role in the country’s tourism industry and economy. These government departments envisage that the domestic tourism market will continue to grow as previously disadvantaged people become tourists and travellers.
Table 5.2 shows that the majority of domestic visitors that visit Ezulwini Private Park (66.67%) and Tala Private Park (89.86%) resided in KwaZulu-Natal. Domestic visitors seem to favour Tala Private Park which is in close proximity to the two major cities (Durban and Pietermaritzburg) in KwaZulu-Natal. Tala Private Park is located 45 minutes away from Durban and 20 minutes away from Pietermaritzburg, whereas Ezulwini Private Park is located about 3 hours away from both cities. Similarly, in the study carried out by Chellan (2005), 37% of the domestic visitors visiting the iSimangaliso Wetland Park which is located in KwaZulu-Natal resided in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.
Other domestic visitors that visited the Ezulwini Private Park were from the Western Cape (22.92 %) and Gauteng (10.42%). Among those domestic respondents visiting the Tala Private Park, 5.80% were from Gauteng, 2.90% were from the Free State and 1.45% were from the North West Province. In an effort to bolster tourism in KwaZulu-Natal, the Ezulwini Private Park and Tala Private Park are marketed extensively as upmarket wedding and conference venues that were accessible and available to ordinary South Africans (Wedding and Function, 2009). According to Van Rooyen (2009: 11), “a new breed of tourists are flocking to South Africa - not for a safari or a round of golf, but to say I do. About half of the 8 000 couples who tie the knot during the wedding season which runs from September to March are foreigners taking advantage of the exchange rate”.
By promoting domestic tourism, foreign exchange outflows are reduced as less locals travel to foreign countries (Saayman et al., 2001). Consequently, in order to maximise foreign exchange earnings from tourism, countries try to promote domestic tourism or place restrictions on the amount of money taken out of the country within a certain time-frame (Graham, 1999; Mill and
Morrison, 1985). However, research has shown that a rise in domestic tourism in emerging nations such as China and India is becoming one of the major changes in the tourism potential of these countries and will result in significant new opportunities for regional economic development as well as various problems associated with tourism (Chambers, 2009). For example, in China, 80% of the domestic tourist trips are to National Parks and these National Parks hosted more than one billion domestic tourists in 2006 (Ma et al., 2009). However, in instances where environmental controls remain weak and where distribution of the cost and benefits of economic development can be uneven, the potentially negative effects of such rapid development should be of concern to the residents of that country (Tisdell and Wen, 2001).
Table 5.3 Domestic day-trippers at Tala Private Park (in %)
Province Tala (n=66)
Free State 1.52%
Gauteng 4.55%
KwaZulu- Natal 92.42%
North West Province 1.52%
To determine how many domestic visitors were day-trippers to the Tala Private Park, the researcher carried out a crosstab analysis (Table 5.3). Results indicate that the majority (95.65%) of domestic visitors (n = 66) visiting the Tala Private Park were day-trippers. The majority of these day-trippers were from KwaZulu-Natal (92.42 %) followed by visitors that reside in Gauteng (4.55 %), Free State (1.52 %) and North West (1.52 %) provinces. In contrast, all the respondents visiting the Ezulwini Private Park stayed at the Park lodge. A significant amount of day-trippers from KwaZulu-Natal could be attributed to Tala’s proximity to Durban and Pietermaritzburg. This enables visitors to spend the day and then return home. Additionally, the Tala Private Park is a 5 star resort and the accommodation is very exclusive and expensive. It is possible that locals are unable to afford to stay as overnight guests. The lodges at Tala Private Park were approximately R1 200 per person per night and are inclusive of a three course meal.
The exclusivity of Tala Private Park makes it only affordable to the wealthy and this study supports the concerns that private Parks tend to be elite, only to be enjoyed by the wealthy.
Figure 5.1 Gender of respondents (n =100 in each Park)
Figure 5.1 shows that 43% of the respondents visiting the Ezulwini Private Park were female and 57% were male. Thirty five percent of the respondents that visited Tala Private Park were female and 65% were male. Similarly, Desai (2005) observed that there were more males (63%) than females (37%) in the Karoo National Park, South Africa. Likewise, Higham and Carr (2002) reported that the visitor respondents to Aotearoa, New Zealand comprised of more males (56%) than females (44%). However, this result shown in Figure 5.1 does not necessarily imply that there were more male visitors in Ezulwini Private Park and Tala Private Park than female visitors. Interestingly, the researcher noted that visitors travelled in family groups and questionnaires were answered predominately by the male respondents while the female respondents tended to the children.
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
female male
Percentage
Ezulwini Tala
Table 5.4 Marital status of respondents (in %) Marital Ezulwini
(n=100)
Tala (n=100)
Total (n=200)
Divorced 15 2 8.5
Married 50 73 61.5
Separated - 3 1.5
Single 35 21 28
Widowed - 1 0.5
Fifty percent of the respondents visiting the Ezulwini Private Park were married while 35% were single and 15% were divorced. In contrast, results show that the majority of the respondents (73%) visiting the Tala Private Park were married, 21% were single, 3% were separated and 2%
were divorced (Table 5.4). Similarly, Okech (2004) indicated that 45% of the respondents in the Amboseli National Park and 73% of the respondents in Masai Mara National Reserve were married. Likewise, the majority of the tourists to the Ocala National Park in the United States were married with children (Stein et al., 2003). There seems to be a trend for families and individuals who were not married to visit Parks as a means of relaxation.
Table 5.5 Age of respondents (in %)
x=36.6 x=39.6 x=38.1
Table 5.5 shows that the majority (58.5%) of the respondents visiting the Ezulwini Private Park and Tala Private Park were between the ages of 22 and 40 years old. However, the majority of the respondents (42%) visiting the Ezulwini Private Park belonged to a younger age category (22-30 years), whereas in the Tala Private Park the majority of the respondents belonged to an older age category (31-40 years). The average age for the respondents at the Ezulwini Private Park was 36.6 years (ranging from 18 to 60 years) whereas the average age of the respondents at the Tala Private Park was 39.6 years (ranging from 18 to 65 years). Okech (2004) observed a
Age (in years) Ezulwini (n=100)
Tala (n=100)
Total (n=200)
18-21 4 6 5
22-30 42 18 30
31-40 23 34 28.5
41-50 5 21 13
51-60 26 15 20.5
60-65 - 6 3
similar trend (the average age of respondents were in their thirties) relating to respondents visiting the Amboseli National Park and Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. According to Okech (2004), the younger age groups have a greater economic independence, are highly motivated and are keen to discover their natural environment.
Table 5.6 Education level of respondents (in %)
Education Ezulwini
(n=100)
Tala (n=100)
Total (n=200)
Secondary 8 19 13.5
Tertiary 92 81 86.5
Researchers have confirmed that ecotourists are well educated (Diamantis, 1999; Eagles and Cascagnette, 1995; Hvenegaard and Dearden, 1998). In South Africa, Boshoff et al. (2007) observed that the majority of the respondents (81%) at the Addo Elephant National Park comprised of individuals who possessed a high educational qualification. Similar trends were observed in this study, with all the respondents obtaining at least a secondary qualification. More specifically, 92% of the respondents visiting the Ezulwini Private Park and 81% of the respondents visiting the Tala Private Park obtained a tertiary qualification (Table 5.6).
Table 5.7 Occupation of respondents (in %) Occupation Ezulwini
(n=100)
Tala (n=100)
Total (n=200)
Administrator - 8 4
Artisan/technician - 13 6.5
Businessperson 32 18 25
Community worker - 2 1
Farmer - 1 0.5
Home executive - 2 1
Labourer - 1 0.5
Private driver - 1 0.5
Professional 59 36 47.5
Psychic - 1 0.5
Retired 4 6 5
Self-employed - 4 2
Student - 7 3.5
Unemployed 5 - 2.5
Table 5.7 indicates that the majority of the respondents from the Ezulwini Private Park (59%) and Tala Private Park (36%) were professionals. The remaining respondents from the Ezulwini Private Park comprised of businesspersons (32%), unemployed (5%) and retired persons (4%).
Of the respondents visiting the Tala Private Park, 18% were businesspersons, 13% were artisans or technicians, 8% were administrators, 7% were students, 6% were retired and 4% were self- employed (Table 5.7). The results obtained are consistent with Stein et al. (2003) and Wearing and Neil (1999) who observed that most of their tourist respondents had a tertiary qualification and had higher income levels.
Table 5.8 Income in South African currency (Rands) per month (in %) Income Ezulwini
(n=100)
Tala (n=100)
Total (n=200)
R1,000-R10,000 24 31 27.5
R11,000-R20,000 36 33 34.5
R21,000-R30,000 5 16 10.5
R31,000-R40,000 - 4 2
R41,000-R50,000 35 2 18.5
R51,000-R60,000 - 4 2
R61,000-R70,000 - 7 3.5
R71,000-R80,000 - 3 1.5
x=R24,100 x=R22,300 x=R23,200
Results from this study confirm that ecotourists have a higher than average income (Wearing and Neil, 1999). From Table 5.8 it is evident that the majority of the respondents (36%) from the Ezulwini Private Park earn between R11,000 - R20,000. Similarly, majority (33%) of the respondents visiting the Tala Private Park had an income of between R11,000 - R20,000.
However, the average monthly income of respondents at the Ezulwini Private Park was R24,100 ranging from (R1,000 to R50,000) whereas the average monthly income of respondents at Tala Private Park was R22,300 ranging from R1,000 to R80,000). Furthermore, a chi squared analysis confirmed that the income distribution between the respondents visiting the Ezulwini Private Park and the Tala Private Park are statistically different (χ2= 54.21, p < 0.05). That is, in terms of this study, Ezulwini Private Park visitors earn significantly more than Tala Private Park visitors. This could be due to the larger number of day-trippers who do not spend as much as visitors.
Table 5.9 Description of visitor group (in %) Group Ezulwini
(n=100)
Tala (n=100)
Total (n=200)
Alone 5 1 3
Business colleagues - 10 5
Church group - 2 1
Co-workers - 7 3.5
Family 23 61 42
Friends 9 16 12.5
Research group - 2 1
Tour group 63 1 32
Table 5.9 illustrates that amongst the respondents visiting the Ezulwini Private Park, 63% were part of a tour group, 23% described their group as being family, 9% were with friends and 5% of the respondents were alone. Of the respondents from the Tala Private Park, 61% of the respondents were with family, 16% of the respondents were friends, 10% of the respondents were with business colleagues, 7% of the respondents were co-workers, 2% of the respondents belonged to church or to research groups, and the remaining respondents were either alone (1%) or belonged to a tour group (1%). From the results obtained it is evident that the vast majority of visitors travelled in a group. Likewise, Stein et al. (2003) described that most of their respondents in Ocala National Park, in the United States were similar to respondents of Tala Private Park who had travelled with their families to nature-based recreation sites. As indicated earlier, groups of friends and/or family seem to be prominent.
Table 5.10 Reasons for visiting South Africa (in %)
Reason Ezulwini (n=52)
Tala (n=31)
Total (n=83)
Business - 48.39 24.19
Holiday 88.46 22.58 55.52
Ship anchored at port - 6.45 3.23
Training - 3.23 1.61
Visit family and friends 11.5 19.35 15.45
Table 5.10 shows that foreign respondents visiting the Ezulwini Private Park were either on holiday (88.46%) or were visiting family and friends (11.5%). At the Ezulwini Private Park respondents had travelled via tour operators. Thus, many of the international visitors were in South Africa as part of a packaged holiday and therefore their motivations and expectations were
essentially linked to the natural environment, family and relaxation (Eagles, 1992). The majority of the foreign respondents visiting the Tala Private Park were on business (48.39%). Tala Private Park is popular amongst business persons due to the availability of conference facilities and the close proximity of the Park to the major economic hubs (that is, Durban and Pietermaritzburg) in KwaZulu-Natal. The results reveal that they are a range of reasons why people visit private Parks or ecotourism sites generally. These reflect the multiple marketing strategies as well as the different motivations that influence people to travel.