Is small beautiful? Understanding the contribution of small businesses in township tourism to economic development

Koens, Ko; Thomas, Rhodri

doi:10.1080/0376835x.2015.1010715

Cited by 36 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…It has been noted elsewhere that the very limited understanding of township tourism business behaviour is a major impediment for policy-makers (Koens and Thomas, 2015). In their recent comprehensive review of the field, Thomas, Shaw and Page (2011) note that small businesses in tourism remain generally under-theorised and under-researched.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“You know that's a rip-off”: policies and practices surrounding micro-enterprises and poverty alleviation in South African township tourism

Koens

Thomas

2016

Journal of Sustainable Tourism

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Supporting the development of small tourism businesses has been seen by policymakers as a valuable means of alleviating poverty in South African townships.This perspective has been endorsed by several 'responsible' tourism businesses and academics. Following a review of the literature, this paper reports the findings of an empirical study that examined the practices of micro-business owners and the factors that shape their behaviour in two South African townships. In spite of significant visitor numbers, it finds that their narrow social networks and the imbalances of power between them and intermediaries such as travel agencies and tour operators prevent them from developing their businesses and sharing in the material gains that become available because of tourism. This analysis has important implications for local policy-makers and those advocating responsible tourism. For the former, it suggests a cessation of current initiatives in favour of greater regulation and alternative forms of investment. For the latter, it implies the need to reassess the utility of advocating responsible tourism to consumers in a context where they do not understand the dynamics which fashion what is on offer or the full implications of their choices.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“You know that's a rip-off”: policies and practices surrounding micro-enterprises and poverty alleviation in South African township tourism

Koens

Thomas

2016

Journal of Sustainable Tourism

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“…The present study, while exploratory in nature, contributes to the understanding of communities' perceptions of tourism impacts in pilgrimage trails, as well as to suggest potential alternatives towards a small scale, slower tourism development in the areas that capitalizes in the characteristics of pilgrimage tourism. This approach can be an alternative development strategy (Koens and Thomas 2015) in contrast to recent cases of over-tourism (Hagi 2017;Seraphin, Sheeran and Pilato 2018). As the residents seem to prefer an overall small development that favors close interactions with visitors, a balance in development may be of utmost importance for sustainable tourism policies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Residents’ Perceptions of Socio-Economic Impacts on Pilgrimage Trails: How does the community perceive pilgrimage tourism?

Progano¹

2018

AJTR

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Many of the studies on pilgrimage tourism have focused on aspects related to visitors, such as travel motivation, visitor experience or visitor typologies. However, it is also vital for tourism destination management to understand the local community's perceptions towards impacts brought by tourism. While some research has been conducted on the subject, the tourism impacts in communities along pilgrimage trails remain surprisingly under-researched. In order to contribute to this research gap, this study provides a qualitative approach on the host community's economic and social impacts of pilgrimage tourism. Analysis is made based on Krippendrof's categorization, which divides community members into four types based on their economic dependence on tourism activity. As a case study site, Chikatsuyu community, located along the pilgrimage routes of Kumano Kodo, is selected. Results show that, although economic impacts were regarded as comparatively minor, smallscale tourism was generally perceived as positive across the participants. In particular, the participants had an overall positive perception of social impacts. The presence of international tourists was welcomed across the four types of participants, who perceived them as polite, friendly and interesting because of the novelty they brought to their daily lives. Awareness towards tradition and its conservation, as well as an increase in events, were also positively influenced by tourism development. Almost no negative impacts were perceived by the participants. Finally, in comparison to other communities located along the pilgrimage route, the participants recognized that Chikatsuyu was less developed and received less benefits from tourism because of its location as a waypoint place. However, they were satisfied with the level of development achieved by Chikatsuyu and had no ill feelings towards more developed communities. The study's results have implications for tourism management on pilgrimage routes, especially for a sustainable development of it as locals favor smallscale growth rather than mass tourism.

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“…The research revealed tension among various entities that are involved in urban tourism. While the involvement of small local enterprises is beneficial, they are restricted in their actions by conflicts of interest, the lack of trust, limited social networks, and poor involvement in urban communities [98].…”

Section: Trust and Social Network In Tourismmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Trust in Sustainable Heritage Management Networks. Case Study of Selected Cultural Routes in Poland

2019

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Currently, the most common way of managing cultural heritage in a sustainable manner takes the form of cultural routes. The phenomenon of cultural routes mainly results from their innovative organisation, different from the previously adopted institutionalised and formalised heritage management structure that did not align with the contemporary discourse around cultural heritage, which currently constitutes one of the bases of sustainable development. The novel idea focuses on the active involvement of many diverse entities in heritage management: not only public sector organisations with their statutory appointment for this purpose, but, first and foremost, entrepreneurs who create heritage products, tourists visiting sites on the route, or people who create this heritage. Thus, the cultural route acquires the characteristics of a network-points (nodes) that are shaped depending on the needs of the region and its inhabitants, their knowledge, experience, current ideas about a given place, and the way in which specific communities would like to be perceived. The undertaken research problem explores what features cultural route networks have and how they are managed, as well as what values, including trust, are manifested in the mutual relations of route-related entities. An original concept of shaping trust within the network of cultural routes has also been proposed based on the research results.

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Is small beautiful? Understanding the contribution of small businesses in township tourism to economic development

Abstract: The increased importance attached by policy-makers

Cited by 36 publications

References 51 publications

“You know that's a rip-off”: policies and practices surrounding micro-enterprises and poverty alleviation in South African township tourism

“You know that's a rip-off”: policies and practices surrounding micro-enterprises and poverty alleviation in South African township tourism

Residents’ Perceptions of Socio-Economic Impacts on Pilgrimage Trails: How does the community perceive pilgrimage tourism?

The Role of Trust in Sustainable Heritage Management Networks. Case Study of Selected Cultural Routes in Poland

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