In South Africa, tourism contributes significantly to 3.7% in GDP and770 000 in direct tourism in jobs pre pandemic. Beyond the economic impact, tourism offers personal enrichment—opportunities to rest and recharge, connect with strangers and friends, and engage in new experiences, whether we seek physical or mental adventures.
However, the concept of overtourism cannot be ignored. In several destinations, particularly in Europe and parts of Asia, tourism no longer feels beneficial as locals feel squeezed out of their neighbourhoods, overrun by strangers.
For these communities, the benefits of tourism are overshadowed by its costs, leading to questions about what there is to celebrate during Tourism Month. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, for example, sees 86% of its 1.8 million annual visitors concentrated in just two regions, which have a year-round population of only 130,000. Whilst increasing tourism infrastructure may be seen as the answer, infrastructure projects often lag tourism growth and large projects such as airports, roads and hotels require funding and have an impact on the environment.
In South Africa we are not yet at the point where over tourism is an issue although there are times of the year, such as peak December school holidays when popular destinations such as Kruger National Park and Table Mountain experience pressure. A recent McKinsey & Company study cautions that Cape Town was starting to show “risks from concentrated tourism” with overloaded tourism infrstraucture begging to impact the visitor experience.
How do we stay ahead of the curve and ensure that tourism, both domestic and international, is a net benefit in its full socio- economic sense? There is a need to manage the physical and mental pressure that a large influx of tourism brings but finding a balance between residents, visitors and businesses is not always easy.
Tourism distribution—how and when tourists are spread out across destinations—will become a crucial skill for destination management organisations and requires a multistakeholder effort. Tourism flows and the spatial distribution of tourists will be the future skill required to ensure fit for purpose tourism economy that serves and benefits the widest set of South Africans in the next decade.
Strategies to support tourism distribution
There are several levers that can enhance tourism distribution, benefiting the host destination, local businesses and citizens.
- Stagger school holidays
Flattening seasonality by staggering school holidays, particularly the summer holidays, could extend the domestic tourism season, thereby supporting the industry throughout the year. This approach would distribute demand for accommodation, flights, and other services over a longer period, reducing costs for travelers and sustaining tourism jobs. Seasonality for all in the tourism industry could be significantly increased by staggering coastal and inland holidays. Even a one-week shift could significantly impact the industry.
- Matching demand to supply
Ideally the aim is to match the demand for tourism products with the supply of tourism products. There is not a uniform demand for tourism products throughout the year or even the day. For example, the first week in December and the last week of January are traditionally quieter. Equally there is higher demand for Table Mountain Cableway tickets in the mornings than towards the end of the day. Similarly, the Cango Caves experience high demand mid-morning compared to other times throughout the day.
Shifting 10 -15% of the demand away from peak times of the day would create not only a better experience for the visitor but also solve infrastructure and staffing problems that are all concentrated at the peak time periods. Here dynamic pricing – a strategy already used by airlines and extending to hotels, car hires, and tourist attractions—can spread demand away from peak times, offering lower fees during off-peak periods, enhancing the visitor experience whilst easing the pressure on infrastructure and staff.
- Responsible tourism
We all have a duty to be a responsible tourist. By exploring less-visited places or visiting popular sites during off-peak hours and seasons, we can help reduce congestion. For example, while the midday rush makes Cape Point and Boulders Beach crowded, visiting these sites early in the morning or late in the afternoon can provide a far better experience.
- Develop new markets and new products to support tourism spread
Expanding into new markets and innovative tourism products can also support the distribution of tourism more evenly. Focus on targeting source markets that travel outside of our traditional summer period. South Africa has a unique opportunity to manage this spread as our peak safari season is counter to our peak summer season. Alternatively by promoting alternative experiences and products, such as Astro Tourism for example, in areas with dark skies, one can shift the demand away from overburdened destinations.
