Research Publications (Academic Support)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://ir-dev.dut.ac.za/handle/10321/211
Browse
8 results
Search Results
Item Diversification and innovation in tourism development strategy : the case of Abu Dhabi(Geo Publishing, 2015) Giampiccoli, Andrea; Mtapuri, OliverThrough its diversification thrust, Abu Dhabi has succeeded in reaping the benefits both of oil and gas and of the services sector, including tourism, through deliberate government action. Diversification and innovation have been key drivers in all sectors of the economy, including tourism, and innovations in one sector have spawned innovations in others. Drawing on literature sourced from secondary data, including government documents and publications available in the public domain, this article argues that innovation in various sectors can facilitate tourism diversifi-cation, innovation, and product/market development. The authors propose a diver-sification and innovation model, arguing that these aspects are inter-related and that their relationship is cyclical. Diversification and innovations are generated from and influenced by any economic, social, or institutional milieu and by entities such as government, business, and non-governmental organizations The article contends that Abu Dhabi’s new growth path should be geared towards small and medium enterprises in the boutique and lifestyle lodging business, so as to spread the benefits of its success in the tourism industry to the broader population through diversifying the emirate’s “traditional” hotel market.Item Towards a comprehensive model of community-based tourism development(Taylor and Francis, 2016) Mtapuri, Oliver; Giampiccoli, AndreaCommunity-based tourism (CBT) offers both opportunities and challenges in the quest for holistic community development. The evolution and development of CBT projects can follow different trajectories. This conceptual paper’s main contribution is the formulation of a comprehensive model of the development of CBT. The model suggests that CBT projects can be initiated from within and outside the community by the private, public and non-governmental sectors or a combination of these using a top-down or bottom-up approach. It also posits that CBT projects can take a formal or informal character depending on the conditions leading to their initiation. The paper highlights the benefits and constraints to the scaling up or down of operations linked to informality. It supports further research in analyzing the various aspects associated with the shift from formality to the informality of CBT projects and vice versa and the relationship with CBT development and holistic community development.Item Community-based tourism in rich and poor countries : towards a framework for comparison(African Journals Online, 2015-12) Giampiccoli, Andrea; Jugmohan, Sean; Mtapuri, OliverThis article is conceptual based on a perusal of academic journal articles and books on matters related to Community-based Tourism (CBT). It contends that CBT is a very important tool for local economic development, community development, empowerment and the attainment of social justice. It observes disparities between rich and poor countries in terms of endowments and how the multiple dimensions of poverty can confound how tourism can be experienced in different contexts. It posits an eight Es model which represents the fundamental pillars upon which to judge a CBT for purposes of support, monitoring and evaluation. The eight E are Endogenous (emphasising a reliance on local resources); Environment – (reflecting the importance of caring for the environment, and broader environmental conditions and infrastructure); Education – (to advance skills and education); Empowerment – (which embraces economic, psychological, social and political empowerment); Equity – (for equitable distribution and re-distribution of both benefits and resources); Evolving – (always improving and changing to take advantage of dynamic opportunities); Enduring – (for long term sustainability) and supporting Entrepreneurship – (for innovation, creativity and viability). The framework/model is also significant as it provides a common ground upon which the understanding of CBT could be carried at international and national level. The model can be customised to take into account local conditions; it is flexible and all-encompassing with potential to be used for rating facilities.Item Between theory and practice : A conceptualization of community based tourism and community participation(Loyola College of Social Sciences, 2015) Giampiccoli, Andrea; Mtapuri, OliverTourism in general and community-based tourism (CBT) in particular is important in the overall development discourse in which political ideology and philosophy have a role to play. This paper, using a thorough desk top research, perused various sources of literature, especially handbooks and manual on CBT, to interrogate how theory and practice inform the conceptualization of Community Based Tourism and community participation. CBT is a form of tourism which emphasises and encourages the involvement of communities in showcasing their culture, artifacts, heritage and environments. Community participation may include running own enterprises as individuals, as collectives and/or with formal partners and may include village visits and tours, participation in village life, cultural tours and so forth. his paper argues that the degree of participation is informed by the CBT venture type as some venture types work to the advantage of communities while others do not. Notions of control, power, empowerment, decision-making and socio-economic conditions are important in this discourse. Participation approaches should be able to challenge existing power structures if genuine empowerment is to be achieved in previously disadvantaged areas The major contribution of this paper is the Community participation and CBT Model Framework which it posits. The framework can be used to locate areas of effective community participation through ‘citizen control’ by venture type. It informs both policy and practice in modeling CBT ventures which ensure community participation, control, empowerment and community decision-making. While most manuals mostly targeted practitioners, this paper advocates the development of manuals which target communities so that they can initiate, manage and run productive CBT projects.Item Moving beyond the 3S's—Sun, Sea, and Sand : an interpretation of the Tourism Development Strategy Framework for Abu Dhabi, U.A.Eb(The Arab World Geographer, 2014-12) Giampiccoli, Andrea; Mtapuri, Oliver;This article unpacks the development of Abu Dhabi as a tourist destination, looking at its diversification strategy from the perspective of an oil-dependent economy attempting to move away from oil dependency. Based on a review of academic literature, government documents, and online sources, it fills a gap in understanding the growth trajectory Abu Dhabi has chosen in overcoming oil dependency. Abu Dhabi has gone beyond the 3S's to incorporate cultural tourism among its value propositions, as well as shopping and architecture; its strategy for sustainable tourism development embraces the economic, environmental, cultural, and social pillars of development. This article postulates a framework of tourism development for Abu Dhabi that shows movement beyond the 3S (or other multiple-S) model based on tourism attractions; the framework is important to inform both practice and policy with respect to tourism development in the U.A.E. and elsewhere in the world.Item Community-based tourism research in academic journals: a numerical analysis(AJOL, 2015) Mtapuri, Oliver; Giampiccoli, Andrea; Spershott, ClaireThis article examines the growth of Community-Based Tourism within the broader discipline of tourism. New topics in the field have emerged such as responsible tourism, pro-poor tourism, sports tourism and moral impacts of tourism. This phenomenon also reflects the multidisciplinarity of tourism. In this article, using the Title, Abstract and Keywords (TAK) for instances in which the words (Community-based Tourism, Community Tourism and Community-Based Eco-Tourism) to subsume Community-Based Tourism (CBT), a search was made in various databases and found that CBT as a sub-specialty of tourism started to emerge in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The number of articles published specifically on CBT has been growing phenomenally. The major contribution of this article is that we now know the evolution of CBT and we also now know its trajectory of growth which has been upward. While the number of articles on CBT is growing, there is no journal dedicated solely to CBT.Item Tourism development in Qatar: towards a diversification strategy beyond the conventional 3 Ss(2015) Giampiccoli, Andrea; Mtapuri, OliverResearch on tourism development in oil-dependent countries is still in its infancy arguably because the tourism sector itself is new in those countries. This paper makes a contribution filling this gap with a focus on the diversification strategy which Qatar seems to be pursuing. The pursuit of the conventional 3 Ss model of Sea, Sand and Sun by Qatar in terms of its tourism development trajectory seems to be the only focus of its tourism development strategy. Against a backdrop of phenomenal growth, Qatar then incorporated the 4Ss of Safari, Skyscrapers, Sport, Shopping, and Surgery to offer a diversified product which appeals to sport enthusiast; a shopper; safari adventurer; a landscape and architectural admirer; health enthusiast (or just patients) for surgery; and a holiday maker for sea, sand, sun thereby establishing its own competitive advantage in the tourism sector. The framework of Qatar’s offerings and model of tourism development of Qatar are this paper’s major contributions as they open up new research areas as to whether endowments can be expanded/diversified as is the case of Qatar and whether growth trajectories are context specific. For Qatar, Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions, Festivals, History, Heritage, Desert, Sea, Nature reserves and Safari are all part of a single experience.Item A reformulation of the 3 SS model for community-based tourism : towards an alternative model(Serials Publications, 2014) Mtapuri, Oliver; Giampiccoli, AndreaThis article posits a 7S’s model to expand from the 3S’s model of Sun, Sea, and Sand as anchors for tourism development. It extends the discussion by arguing that within the 7 S’s model Government/community relationship must be elevated to take a new meaning – with Government as a facilitator and the community providing the decision-making platforms in a reconfigured bottom-up approach in the interest of holistic development. Thus, the 3S’s model is expanded to include Safari, Surfing, Shopping and Ski-ing to form a 7S’s model including Sun, Sea and Sand. The model is based on the soundness of leveraging on indigenous knowledge, community ownership of tourism resources, re-formulation of fitting and apt legislation and identity definition to achieve ecological, economic, social and cultural sustainabilities without which tourism cannot properly thrive. Based on this, the article argues that the tourism sector is particularly well positioned to enhance holistic development especially within particular historical-geographic contexts.