Feasibility Study of Proposed Tourism Dev in Shewula, NE ...

Chapter 6 - Tourism, Marketing and Business Planning for the proposed Tourism Development
6.1.5.2. Long-term Actions (large scale tourism development)
• A Tourism Development Strategy (TDS) for Shewula, which should embrace both
tourism policy formulation and implementation, should be determined. It would
need to reflect the current situation, in terms of concerns and opportunities, as
well as future aspirations. This should be the framework within which all planned
and future tourism development and activities occur-in the Shewula area. The
TDS should be informed by a Strategic Management Plan for Biodiversity
Conservation.
• The process towards determining a Tourism Development Strategy for the
Shewula area should be participatory in nature, in terms of integrating specialist
expertise with local community knowledge. This would thus facilitate efficient
planning and could contribute to the empowerment of the Shewula community.
• A detailed study should be carried out to determine existing and possible tourism
markets for the Shewula tourism development in order to determine what tourism
product would cater to a sustainable tourism market. This would include
establishing the nature of the present market in Swaziland, particularly with
reference to possible markets that do or would come to the Lubombo
Conservancy region, and how best to tap into these. The study should also
determine what new market(s) could be created. This would serve to inform the
process of finalising the tourism product, (i.e. what does Shewula have that no
one else has in the sub-region) and ensure that the product on offer in Shewula
is sufficiently attractive to ensure its marketability.
• Research should be undertaken to determine whether the tourism developments
should offer full or self-catering facilities or a combination thereof. 125
• Further research should include identifying the size of buses the tour operators
use, so as to determine the size of the tourism development.
• Research should be undertaken to determine if attracting tourists from the
upmarket section of the travel market would be feasible or not.
To summarise:
In order to maximise benefits from the proposed tourism development, to maintain
and possibly broaden opportunities for future development, and to minimise impacts
on the receiving environment, it would be desirable for the following to be achieved:
- A Strategic Tourism Development Strategy should be informed by a Strategic
Plan for Biodiversity Conservation ; and
- The Strategic Tourism Development Strategy should inform a specific tourism
development plan.
• The following factors should be included into a long-term planning process:
- A tourism policy, in the form of a tourism development strategy should inform
the process;
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A combination approach would broaden the market base. If the two-phase alternative was implemented, it may be
more marketable in terms of exclusivity of experience to offer self-catering at the Hiker's Camp and full-catering
facilities at the Bush Lodge, or different full-catering experiences at each of the two lodges.
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