Creating a memorable experience for Nelson Mandela Heritage Site visitors.

Abstract

After being in prison for more than 25 years, Nelson Mandela was freed and became the first black President of South Africa to be elected democratically. He was at the vanguard of the South African people's fight for independence and racial equality. Nelson Mandela thus remains a prominent figure in cultural heritage, a niche for the country’s emerging cultural heritage tourism. It is, therefore, unsurprising that some of this country’s favourite cultural heritage attractions are associated with him. These attractions hold particular promise for the racial transformation of the tourism sector and the empowerment of previously marginalised communities regarding aspects such as job creation, poverty alleviation and local economic development. One of the most important aspects of promoting these attractions is to provide visitors with a memorable experience. Creating such an experience is crucial in retaining and growing the markets of such sites. The purpose of this research was to determine the aspects that create these kinds of visitor experiences at specific Nelson Mandela Heritage Sites (NMHS). The results revealed that the seven identified factors, collectively, are fundamental in creating a memorable visitor experience. This was the first time that memorable experience aspects were determined for NMHS, according to the authors’ knowledge. Moreover, this research contributes towards the literature of memorable experience at heritage sites for great luminaries and also makes a practical contribution towards creating these types of experiences in confirming that all possible aspects should be well managed as a collective set to generate memorable site experiences for the majority of visitors.

Keywords

• cultural heritage sites
• cultural heritage tourism
• memorable experience
• Nelson Mandela
• South Africa