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

3.5. RECOMMENDATIONS
The recommendations made in the preliminary report may be summarised as follows:
• Establish an institution that will manage tourism development and conservation /
natural resource management associated with the project. Such an institution should
represent the interests of the Shewula community and should be involved in the
decision-making processes regarding developments in Shewula.
• Provide the necessary advice, capacity-building and skills training to those
responsible for such management.
• Assess and evaluate the alternatives for development; make a decision on what the
strategy for tourism development will be in Shewula; and finalise the concept plan.
This includes the following:
- Determining the target market for the Shewula tourism development.
- Finalising the design for the accommodation facilities that are to be built.
- Establishing how the tourist experience will be integrated with or separated from
the Shewula community.
• Ensure that the general community in Shewula has a basic understanding of tourism
and conservation / natural resource management.
• Ensure adequate communication between the various parties that are involved in the
project.
• Involve and co-operate with other parties who are working towards goals similar to
those of the project and/or who have something to contribute to the project.
• Undertake the necessary planning for integrated tourism development and
conservation management in Shewula, preferably within the broader context of local
and regional developments (both existing and planned).
• The possibility of undertaking a few trial or practice runs with backpackers and other
people should be considered (Contacts include Myxo Mduli with Woza Nawe, or
Darron Raw with Swazi Trails, or Sondzela Backpackers, Mlilwane). People could still
pay a minimal fee to cover the costs, but because of the trial nature of their stay
would not be expected to pay a large amount. The input of these people, and
feedback about their experiences, would provide useful information for the planning
phase of the project.
• Intensive financial planning, which should take into account the costs and benefits of
establishing a marketing strategy, tourism product, and target market, needs to be
undertaken. It should include the possibility of equity / collateral agreements with
private investors.