African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure (Mar 2020)
The Wild Coast as a catalyst for local economic development (LED) in Coffee Bay, Eastern Cape, South Africa
Abstract
Globally coastal tourism has been recognised as a key driver for economic prosperity. As such, costal tourism offerings are utilized a vehicle for local economic development, especially in developing countries such as Namibia, Brazil and Mauritius. The objective of this paper was to analyse the role of relevant stakeholders in participating in tourism as a catalyst for Local Economic Development in Coffee Bay. For the purpose of this study, both qualitative and quantitative research techniques were adopted. A questionnaire survey was utilized to collect data and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse data. The findings of this study indicates that there are entrepreneurial initiatives in Coffee Bay, however, these initiatives are seemingly not well managed due to poor education levels. The study also found that the community of Coffee Bay appear to be unsure of who owns the tourism businesses and who does not. In light of these findings the Wild Coast has not been fully utilized as a catalyst to bring about economic benefits to the local community. Therefore, it is envisaged that these findings will play a significant role in creating community awareness in Coffee Bay about tourism and its various benefits. It is recommended that entrepreneurial hubs be established in Coffee Bay in order to assist locals in managing their businesses. The limitation to this study was time. It had to be completed within a year and only focuses on Coffee Bay area not Wild Coast at large. The findings of this paper will hopefully contribute meaningfully in improving social standards of the impoverished Coffee Bay community.
