African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure (Feb 2018)
Conserving cultural heritage and the usage of indigenous knowledge: A case study of the Zululand District Municipality, Kwazulu-Natal.
Abstract
Local communities are the custodians of cultural heritage resources and Indigenous Knowledge Systems, therefore one imagines that they should be active participants in passing on their cultural heritage, particularly to the youth and subsequently use it in cultural heritage tourism development. The purpose of this article was to highlight the significance of conserving heritage and indigenous knowledge in order to provide authentic products and experiences which are part of cultural heritage tourism and its impact on the rural communities. The objectives of this study were thus to: establish (a) the level of participation of local communities in the conservation of cultural heritage resources (b) if local communities participate in cultural heritage tourism development and (c) the extent to which Indigenous Knowledge (IK) is used as an integral component of authentic cultural heritage tourism development. Findings of the study indicated that, the conservation of cultural heritage resources was perceived as significant by the majority of local communities. Interestingly a significant number of young people indicated that the inclusion of indigenous knowledge in packaging tourism products and the participation in cultural activities were important ways of passing cultural heritage from generation from generation. The community recommended that indigenous knowledge should be the primary source of information when packaging authentic tourism products that have a potential of enriching the experiences of tourists.
