SDGs as Indicators of Holistic Small Town Tourism Development. A Case for Phuthaditjhaba South Africa

Abstract

Mountainous small towns are often geographically isolated, lack access to main decision making centres and are in many cases plagued by incessant weather related natural disasters. While these realities reduce the options for economic activities available in these towns, the lifestyles, cultures of their residents, as well as their communities’ close relations with nature, make them attractive and unique tourism destinations. Many local leaders advocate for the opening of these towns to tourism for the expected economic benefits. However, tourism should be developed in a holistic manner in order to bring benefits to the economy, the host communities and the environment these destinations. In this chapter, Sustainable Development Goals 1, 2, 5, 8, 11, 12 and 13 are used to demonstrate that the achievement of holistic tourism development in the small town of Phuthaditjhaba relies heavily on the manner of development of tourism that respects the interconnectedness of these SDGs. The authors used critical discourse analysis of available literature, to conclude that tourism development in Phuthaditjhaba currently lacks balance between economic, environmental and socio-cultural benefits to the community, and suggested practical steps for the use of SDGs in planning and implementing tourism development in the lead-up to the year 2030.