Model 4: Qualitative and Quantitative Methods are used equally
6.3 DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY TOURISM PLANNING APPROACH
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There is therefore a need for tourism planners in KwaZulu-Natal to ensure that there is an institutional capacity building for municipalities such as uMkhanyakude District Municipality, for both politicians and officials to assist them in identifying tourism opportunities in their communities. Tourism planners in KwaZulu-Natal are also expected to assist municipalities such as uMkhanyakude District Municipality to forge working relationships with surrounding countries such as Swaziland and Mozambique to ensure that there are cross-border partnerships in terms of tourism development (DEDT-LGSP, 2009)
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but is the thriving, modern capital of KwaZulu-Natal. Msunduzi Local Municipality is a dynamic commercial and industrial centre ideally positioned as a base for manufacturing, particularly aluminium, chemicals, food, furniture, timber and leather products. The city is a tourism gateway to the many attractions of the surrounding areas. It is an events city, hosting international sporting highlights such as the Comrades Marathon and the Duzi Canoe Marathon. Other attractions include both the annual Art and Cars in the Park and the Royal Agricultural Show, which is without parallel on Africa's east coast.
Secondly, Mshwathi Municipality, based in Wartburg, is the largest of the seven local municipalities. The Albert Falls Dam is renowned for its bass fishing, and offers investment opportunities in tourism, leisure and agriculture. Nagle Dam is an idyllic venue for canoeing, fishing and game-viewing. Thirdly, Umngeni Local Municipality with its seat at Howick, features major tourism attractions such as Howick Falls, Karkloof Falls and Midmar Dam, which hosts the annual Midmar Mile- the world's largest open water swim. The area encompasses much of the Midlands Meander, a self drive route of artists' havens, cottage industries, antiques and eateries.
Fourthly, the Mooi-Mpofana municipality, the administrative centre of Mooi River has a focus on the manufacture of quality fabrics by small, medium and micro enterprises. Due to the low population to area ratio, the viability of agricultural crops such as maize, wheat, beans, peas and potatoes is high. Cattle and sheep are farmed extensively, and the area boasts some of South Africa's best racehorse stud farms.
Fifthly, Impendle Local Municipality, incorporating the World Heritage Site of the Drakensberg-Ukhahlamba Mountain Park, accentuates the immense potential in the area for tourism, community based craft endeavours and micro enterprises. Sixthly, the Mkhambathini Local Municipality, centred in Camperdown, features the second highest concentration of poultry producers in the world, supported by a network of service suppliers, as well as pig and beef farming. Agricultural production includes vegetables, maize and sugar cane.
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Lastly, the Richmond Local Municipality is synonymous with timber and the manufacture of wood products but also include dairy, citrus, vegetable and sugar cane production. Tea is cultivated at the Sapekoe Estate and coffee at Shongweni and Assagay. The historic court building and prison in Richmond is a popular visitor attraction, while adventure tourists are drawn to the Umkomaas River, regarded as one of the two best white water venues in Africa (KZNTBP, 2011) [http://www.kzntopbusiness.co.za/site/economic-development. (2010)].
The tourism attributes of UMgungundlovu District Municipality compel a well coordinated tourism planning and development. The seven local municipalities that constitute UMgungundlovu District Municipality indicate that there is a greater need for the district to coordinate all their tourism activities.
6.3.2 Effectiveness of the District Municipality Tourism Planning Approach
UMgungundlovu District Municipality coordinates all the tourism function within the district and as such, is expected to have a District Tourism Forum (DTF).
UMgungundlovu District Municipality, however, does not have a District Tourism Forum. The KwaZulu-Natal provincial government has prescribed that all district municipalities must have District Tourism Forums. The suggested composition of the DTF is the district mayor who also chairs the forum, councillors who are tourism portfolio chairpersons from all the local municipalities, the chairperson of the tourism trade association in the district, government sector departments that have an influence on tourism in various districts, the tourism officials from all the local municipalities within a district. The absence of the District Tourism Forum at a district level means that there is no coordination of tourism activities at district level within UMgungundlovu District Municipality (DEDT, 2011).
The mayor of UMgungundlovu District Municipality attends the Provincial Tourism Committee chaired by the provincial Member of Executive Council (MEC) for Economic Development and Tourism (PTC), and the senior tourism official attends the PTC on behalf of the district municipal manager. Ideally, the two representatives
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of UMgungundlovu District Municipality to the PTC should be getting and suggesting agenda items to the PTC meetings based on the issues discussed at a District Tourism Forum, and after the PTC meetings they should be reporting tourism policy matters discussed at the PTC meetings to the District Tourism Forum.
Contrary to this, the two representatives have no platform to discuss tourism issues at a district level. The unintended consequence of the non-establishment of a District Tourism Forum by UMgungundlovu District Municipality is that tourism stakeholders at a district level do not have a coordinating body that rallies all of them around a common tourism thrust. The district municipality therefore renders a disservice to the district tourism stakeholders and the tourism industry as a whole at a local level.
On the same vain, at the local level, all the seven local municipalities within UMgungundlovu District Municipality do not have Local Tourism Forums. The Local Tourism Forums should be chaired by the local municipality mayor or the chairperson of the Tourism Portfolio Committee, and attended by tourism stakeholders within the local municipality. The Local Tourism Forum should be sitting before the District Tourism Forum such that issues discussed at a local level are accentuated to the district level through the District Tourism Forum. Local Tourism issues should be getting attention at a provincial level through the District Tourism Forum as the district should be reporting these issues at Provincial Tourism Committee quarterly meetings.
However, all the tourism coordination expected to be taking place at a local level as led by UMgungundlovu District Municipality does not happen as each local municipality performs its tourism function in silos without inputs from the district municipality and the provincial government. Despite all the tourism attributes imbued to the local municipalities under UMgungundlovu District Municipality, there is no coordination of tourism to turn all these attributes into tourism attractions of a single destination (DEDT, 2011).