Ondersoek na moontlikhede vir entrepreneuriese ontwikkeling in 'n landelike toerisme-area

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Poverty and unemployment are currently serious socio-economic problems in SouthAfrica. One way of dealing with this problem is entrepreneurial development. Growth inthe tourism sector, specifically in rural tourism, has increased substantially in South Africain the last decade. Facilities, services and products offered by entrepreneurs are part ofthe South African tourism industry. This trend created a need for information concerningtourists' needs regarding products and services. The primary aim of this study was thus toinvestigate the needs of tourists regarding products and services which can lead toentrepreneurial development in a rural tourism setting.A literature review has been undertaken to provide an in-depth report concerning theliterature that forms the theoretical basis for this study. Definition of relevant terms, thelink between tourism and recreation and the positive and negative impacts of tourismwere discussed. Rural tourism and sustainable tourism development were discussednext, followed by literature regarding the tourist, his/her shopping behavior and theimportance of crafts. Employment generation, entrepreneurship, entrepreneurialdevelopment in tourism, entrepreneurial training and the link between entrepreneurshipand crafts were also discussed.The geographical demarcation of the study was the rural town of Darling on the SouthAfrican West Coast and the 15 km radius surrounding the town. This region is a populartourist destination. Despite this, unemployment is still a serious problem. A situationanalysis of the available facilities in Darling was done to determine which products,services and attractions the relevant businesses and artists of the area offer to tourists.The data analysis of the information that was gathered through document analysis andstructured interviews showed that the area is popular with nature as well as culturelovers. To be able to determine the needs and compile a profile of the average tourist thatvisits a rural town like Darling. Tourists were approached to serve as respondents for thestudy. A sample was taken and the respondents completed self-administeredquestionnaires. Frequency and contingency tables were constructed to compile a touristprofile and to identify the needs of tourists visiting a rural region like Darling. On accountof this data, shortcomings were identified between that which Darling offers and theneeds of tourists. Recommendations were made concerning ways to address these shortcomings in a manner that can/may facilitate entrepreneurial development and at thesame time use the existing facilities in Darling.The conclusions suggest that the businesses and artists involved in this study contributetowards tourism and to a certain extent satisfy tourists' needs. Respondents indicated,inter alia, a need for products that are unique to the area. In light of the fact that a typicalDarling product was not identified in the situation analysis, this was found to be aparticularly severe shortcoming. Recommendations were made to address the identifiedshortcomings by way of training programmes aimed at facilitating entrepreneurialdevelopment in Darling.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University