A Tourism Development Plan For The South African War Battlefields Route In The Central Karoo

Abstract

Tourism development is an important imperative in the development of especially rural areas; hence the focus of the National Department of Tourism on developing areas with rich natural, cultural and historical resources. Considering the emphasis on the development of tourism in South Africa, it is important that tourism development plans be established for the different tourism sectors of South Africa. Dark tourism, which involves travelling to places of war and destruction, is experiencing an increase in popularity worldwide. This also applies to South Africa. Battlefield tourism, as a component of dark tourism, offers tourists the opportunity to experience sites or destinations associated with war. The increased interest in the South African War (1899-1902), both nationally and internationally, provides numerous tourism development opportunity for local areas. The most well-known battlefield route in South Africa is the KwaZulu-Natal Battlefields Route. Although there are numerous South African battlefield sites in the Karoo, no attempts have been made to develop a comprehensive battlefield route. Thus, the main objective of the investigation was to construct a tourism development plan for the South African War Battlefields Route in the central Karoo. The tourism development plan was informed by an empirical study conducted amongst various stakeholders on the proposed route. The main findings indicate a need for the development of the route and the establishment of a South African War Battlefields Route Destination Marketing Organisation (DMO).