Abstract
Sport has been an integral part of the African culture for a long time, and as such, in transitioning economies like those in the Central African subregion, where many do not form part of the mainstream economic activity, sport serves as a useful socio-economic getaway. In fact, the concept of sport-related tourism has grown significantly in prominence in the African context, especially in recent times. The above is so because, despite the existing issues linked to economic hardships, sport events are well-attended, providing a useful platform to kick-start certain socio-economic activities that are linked to both local and regional tourism development. Such benefits form part of the reasoning regarding the targeting of sport tourism as a vibrant sector that can contribute effectively to local economic development by the governments in the Central African subregion. However, the analysis and development of sport tourism has, so far, been subjected to only a limited amount of empirical research that could prove to be useful, in terms of providing cogent plans and policy directions to guide such development. The study argues that using current frameworks that have mostly been developed in the resourceful Global North context might be misleading in parts of the subcontinent of Africa, given their unique geopolitical and economic characteristics. Consequently, using Cameroon as a case study area, the current thesis develops a framework for sport tourism development...
Ph.D. (Tourism & Hospitality)