Abstract
Purpose of the study: It is usually found that strategy and policy makers are often unsure of how to start gathering local data and then analysing the information and implementing the findings in a practical and effective manner. Therefore this study aims to develop a baseline for a tourism revitalization strategy for the Vaal Triangle region of South Africa, in an effort to promote tourism development which will ultimately lead to an improvement of LED.Design/methodology/approach: Following a qualitative approach with the use of semi structured interviews as the primary means of data collection, interviews were conducted with tourism businesses operating in the Vaal Triangle region.Findings: The main themes are that of safety and security, improved infrastructure, clean environment, enhanced sustainability, improved marketing and awareness, improved linkages and cooperation, creation of an enabling environment, better utilisation of resources, lack of political will, corruption and a change in attitudeRecommendations/value: The main themes were transformed into practical and achievable strategic objectives tailored to the study region. These strategic objectives set out for the baseline for a tourism revitalization strategy, together with their relating local actions, are presented.Managerial implications: This study could enable other researchers and destination managers to determine a local region's potential in developing tourism and also aid strategy makers in that region to develop strategies that are based on the region's strengths, weaknesses, challenges and potential.