Management of Eco-Tourism through Public-Private Partnerships in South Africa

Abstract

Public protected areas are set aside to legally protect the country’s biological and culturally diverse resources. In South Africa, the protected areas have sustainably conserved some of the country’s most biologically rich areas and endangered species; these areas also provide the main way in which people can visit relatively undisturbed areas of high natural and cultural value. Considering sustainability while managing protected areas raises new challenges such as how to reach a balance between economic development and conservation. Public-private partnerships (PPPs) serve as an important framework to develop protected areas that will bring along benefits such as: financial benefits for conservation, community empowerment through economic development, and tourist satisfaction. Public and private sector partnership is the best of both systems: as the private sector brings along the management expertise, knowledge, and resources, the public sector formulates policy and protects the interest of the public. The study aimed at examining the practical importance of managing eco-tourism development through PPP by collecting pre-existing textual data. A content analysis of published academic and industry papers that focused on the management of eco-tourism development by means of PPP, within a global and local context was analysed and thematically coded. The stakeholder theory in eco-tourism development highlights the importance of identifying stakeholder interests and influence to assist with the facilitation efforts toward sustainable eco-tourism development and alignment of functional activities in PPA. The results reveal definitive and practical policy response is needed on how best to apply these regulations to optimise PPP transactions to the benefit of all stakeholders.

Keywords

• public-private partnership
• stakeholder theory
• protected areas
• local economy development
• eco-tourism