Towards sustainable tourism development : the Volksblad Tourism Town of the Year Competition

Abstract

Sustainability is a global concern for any organisation seeking to remain relevant and in business. In a developing country like South Africa, tourism has the potential to stimulate the economy and create jobs. The Free State and Northern Cape provinces are generally not at the top of the list for national and international tourists, although they are regions of great natural beauty and splendour. These provinces have many small towns and farming communities and thus extensive areas of rural land. This paper interrogates the sustainability issues related to tourism and reflect on the Volksblad Tourism Town of the Year Competition as a means of stimulating sustainable tourism in Free State and Northern Cape provinces.