Abstract
This study is a contribution to tourism scholarship concerning new product innovation and the development for urban tourism in South Africa. The aim in this dissertation is to investigate the establishment of the Dinokeng Game Reserve as an urban tourism destination. The research investigates the unfolding planning and challenges of a unique tourism development project for the creation of a ‘big 5’ game reserve located on the periphery of the country’s major metropolitan complex and economic hub, Gauteng province. The evolution of the project and the challenges of destination development are themes under scrutiny. The study draws upon documentary sources in the form of planning documents to analyse the evolution and planning of the Dinokeng Game Reserve as the centrepiece of the Dinokeng project. The findings from 27 detailed semi-structured interviews with accommodation suppliers as key stakeholders in destination development are used to examine further the management challenges of establishing Dinokeng is an 18 500 ha ecotourism destination situated in the North-Eastern portion of the Gauteng province. The development of Dinokeng is shown as distinctive unlike other ecotourism nodes in major national parks and rural game reserves situated within South Africa. Among critical challenges is the need for physical expansion of the reserve to reach a threshold of ecological and economic viability. Achievements of the project include conservation and biodiversity contributions as well as job creation for surrounding communities. Overall, this analysis of the Dinokeng project with Dinokeng Game Reserve at its heart further extends a vibrant body of tourism geography writings in South Africa concerning urban tourism.