TOURISM AS A VEHICLE FOR LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN SMALL TOWNS? WHEN THINGS GO WRONG: THE CASE OF ALIWAL NORTH, SOUTH AFRICA

Abstract

Post-apartheid local economic development (LED) issues have been of central concern in South African economic planning. The aim of this investigation was to examine the challenges of tourism-led LED in Aliwal North, a small town in South Africa. It shows that despite the many tourism products that could potentially be deployed as a development driver for LED in this town and its hinterland, a range of challenges have frustrated such ambitions. Challenges involve poor management of key tourism products, a lack of targeted and coordinated marketing activities of the destination and a lack of a coordinated stakeholder relationship in the broader destination region, as well as limited management capacity and funding.

Keywords

• south africa
• eastern cape
• aliwal north
• local economic development
• tourism