CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 2
2.2 UNDERSTAND THE MEANING AND IMPORTANCE OF TOURISM
The comprehension of the meaning of ecotourism highly depends on the provision of good education and training. Fundamentally, it is essential to understand the nature of ecotourism, its development and its sustainability. As mentioned earlier, from its inception tourism, as a concept and industry, has been growing from strength to strength. In the 21st Century, tourism has come to be regarded as the most leading industry and revenue maker for many countries of the world. Tourism is not only the world‟s biggest industry but also one of the fastest growing. It is a multidimensional industry, growing fast and becoming a major social and economic force in the world and has thus moved from being mainly for the rich to being accessible and affordable to almost everyone throughout the world (McIntosh et al., 2002).
Ecotourism denotes that ecological and other associated impacts be predicted and identified for social and economic changes. That is the reason the suitability of land-use and tourism-use should be determined and implemented appropriately in the study area. Increased population pressure on limited recreation resources around the Mtubatuba Municipality and the Town of St Lucia, have potential for sustainable uses, and it is indeed a fact that the area
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would need appropriate environmental management policies, not only for land resources but also for cultural resources too. Aaronson (2000), argues that perhaps we shall have to change our whole lifestyle and consume less resources in order to achieve what might really be termed a more sustainable development.
The behaviour of individuals in communities that over-consume or exploit resources should be regulated by a resource management policy to enhance what he called an “eco-friendly” lifestyle. The understanding of these processes would among local communities would contribute positively to the development of tourism and coastal resources in the study area.
Aaronson (2000) has further argued that the positive aspects of tourism from a social and cultural perspective is that, whereas it should be managed in a sustainable manner, it has potential to create economic conditions for establishing new activities and providing new tourism facilities. It is therefore vital to promote ecotourism in the coastal areas of the Town of St Lucia and its surroundings. In the context of this study, this research investigation seeks to make a comparative analysis as to how stakeholders comprehend perceive conservation versus commercialisation of tourism activities in the study area.
2.2.1 Tourism Facilities
In studying and understanding the tourism facilities it is important to know the kind of features that are involved. For general purposes these outdoor recreation facilities include: mountains, rivers, wilderness, lakes, estuaries, seas, beaches, game parks and the like. One of the objectives of this study was to make a comparative analysis between the conservation of facilities versus their commercialisation or commodification. It is worth noting that the Town of St Lucia and its surroundings, have many of the facilities listed above, including
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wild animals, which are a primary resource. Some of the people of the villages around St Lucia Town and Surrounding area, have to travel some distances before reaching some of these facilities. This therefore suggests that the communities of Ezwenelisha Village and Khula Village, also known as Dukuduku Settlement, which are relatively near the Town of St Lucia, need to be invited in decision-making regarding the supply and location of the outdoor recreation facilities for their usage (UIDP, 2008).
The natural environment as a point of focus, creates both opportunities and constraints for tourism and recreation in an area where the people have to utilise the resource (Tribe et al, 2000). From researcher‟s observation, it seems the people of St Lucia Town and Surroundings need to be educated more about the facilities before actually visiting the outdoor facilities, so as to reduce the destruction of the environment. According to Butler & Boyd (2000) the concept of sustainable development results from the observation that the current generations are imposing too great a demand upon natural environment.
2.2.2 Tourism Activities
Similar to the situation about facilities, the increased demand for outdoor recreation activities, mainly for enjoyment, stems from the fact that human beings are living, active organisms, and derive satisfaction when using their innate abilities. Thus according to Bucher et al, (2001), the community of St Lucia Town and Surroundings needs to take part in all activities available in their area. Bucher et al, (2001) have further argued that instead of regarding leisure as an opportunity for enjoyment through active participation, we may have to view it as a source of passive pressure. In this form, the individual watches others participate and seeks diversion through entertainment.
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The list of outdoor recreation activities is long and varied. It includes picnicking, hunting, fishing, nature study, horseback riding, boating, photography and so on [http://www.kaipara.govt.nz/pdf/taharoa_domain /impacts-of-powerboating-and-skiing. (2008); McCall and McCall, (2008)].
Among the above mentioned activities, there are those which are said to be inexpensive and unstructured where unemployed people participate more.
Typical examples are playing games, sight-seeing, picnicking and swimming.
The majority of unemployed citizens of the Town of St Lucia and Surroundings, including the Ezwenelisha Village and Khula Village, also known as Dukuduku Settlement, are expected to select participate in swimming, because such facilities are abundant in the coastal environment the study area is located, as well as that there are no fees charged for entrance.