Abstract
M.Sc.
Large portions of rural South Africa can be considered to belong to the Third World. Tourism has been shown to often be the catalyst for the economic empowerment of such regions. There is no exception to this in the Free State, and particularly in the area formerly known as the Qwa-Qwa homeland, which is investigated in this study. Since 1993, there has been no tourism development in Qwa-Qwa, therefore the purpose of this study is to investigate the lack and problems of tourism development in Qwa-Qwa, with emphasis on ecotourism in the Qwa-Qwa National Park (QNP).
The type of information needed to fulfil the study's aim and objective was qualitative opposed to quantitative. Data collection for sections 3-8 was done by means of a literature study. Personal interviews with Qwa-Qwa National Park employees was the major method of data collection for sections 9-10. The lack of co-operation from the Free State Provincial Government, was a major obstacle during data collection.
Three role players were identified to be involved in developing ecotourism in the QNP: the
community resident in the Park, Agri-Eco ( a parastatal of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, established to administer the Park on its behalf), and the Provincial Government. Although the QNP has all the necessary resources and features to provide specialized tourist facilities, the following were identified as the major factors affecting ecotourism development in the area: the dispute over the legal tenureship of the land covered by the QNP, the almost endless restructuring and re-organization of departments and reporting structures in Agri-Eco and the Free State Provincial Government, the inability of the Free State Provincial Government to provide clear policies and direction for ecotourism development in the QNP, and the inefficiency in the manner in which the Free State Provincial Government conduct is funding operations.