The Greening of Urban Hotels in South Africa: Evidence from Gauteng

Responsible tourism and climate change mitigation are issues on the South African policy agenda. This paper offers a contribution to the limited existing scholarship dealing with greening of hotels in the developing world. Against a backcloth of international debates on green hotels, the findings are presented from interviews conducted with urban hotels in Gauteng, South Africa. The key argument is that in the absence of any government regulatory measures progress of hotel greening initiatives is limited in scope, mainly driven by a mix of enterprise profit and corporate social responsibility considerations which are undertaken amidst low local consumer interest in green hotels as tourism products.     

The Economic Geography of South Africa’s Hotel Industry 1990–2010

Hotels are a neglected facet in economic and tourism geography as the majority of scholarship on hotels is produced from the perspective of hospitality management. This article examines the changing geography of hotels in South Africa during the period 1990–2010 as part of the country’s expanding tourism economy. The analysis confirms the importance of several locational influences, which have been isolated in existing literature, in particular the significance of spatial patterns of market demand related to international leisure travel, domestic business tourism, and of the hosting of mega-events. Since 1990, the South African hotel industry necessarily has adjusted to new market demands related to the vibrancy of international tourism growth as well as an expansion of domestic tourism including of a new black leisure and business tourism market. By 2010, the hotel industry and its spatial distribution reflects the enormous changes, which have take out place in the South African tourism sector since democratic change. The transformed geography of the hotel industry is a response to changing demands associated with South Africa’s rise as an emerging international leisure and business tourism destination, including for regional visitors from sub-Saharan Africa, the expansion of domestic business tourism, and the shifting domestic leisure tourism market, which incorporates an increasing share of black South African tourists     

More than twenty years after the repeal of the Group Areas Act: housing, spatial planning and urban development in post-apartheid South Africa

More than twenty years after the repeal of the Group Areas Act, South Africa is facing a number of challenges with regards to housing, spatial planning and urban development. Government institutions, scholars, NGO’s and local communities have been looking for innovative ways to improve the housing conditions of all South Africans. With this special issue, we aim to demonstrate that international insights cannot only be relevant to understand and enrich South African cases, but that an in-depth analysis of the South African experiments can also be meaningful for academic analyses and political decisions in other parts of the world. In order to stimulate such a cross-fertilization, this article will briefly summarize the current situation in South Africa in the public housing sector, the private housing sector and the self-help approach. We will also introduce the eight papers of this special issue.     

The Locational Behaviour of Foreign Direct Investment: Evidence from Johannesburg, South Africa

This article represents a contribution to the limited scholarship on understanding the locational behaviour of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Africa. Against a background review of international research and debates on locational decision-making of foreign investors at both international (particularly within the developing world) and national scales of analysis, the profile and patterns of foreign investment in Johannesburg are documented and the key factors influencing investor location choice are analysed. Although investors from 34 countries are represented in Johannesburg, the leading ten investor countries, headed by USA, Germany and UK, account for 85% of all investments. An emerging trend is for the growth of FDI from India, China and the Middle East. Reasons given by foreign investors for selecting Johannesburg as an investment destination largely mirror the international experience of location decision-making by foreign investors. Johannesburg is shown to be the preferred choice for business operation both in South Africa and the broader southern African region because of several agglomeration factors which relate to the city's position as economic hub, financial centre and core market of southern Africa.     

Demographic and Economic Changes in Small Towns in South Africa’s Karoo: Looking from the Inside Out

This article seeks to situate the experience of demographic and economic change in South African small towns within a broader context. Drawing on international literature detailing demographic, economic and racial changes within small towns, the paper relates these trends to the Karoo region in South Africa. The research findings reveal that small towns in the Karoo are experiencing selective demographic and economic growth, which particularly favours the larger small towns. There is clear racial differentiation in the growth which is taking place and, contrary to predictions made in the 1970s, small towns in South Africa are not all experiencing absolute decline.     

A Decade of Progress in African Urban Tourism Scholarship

This article introduces a theme issue of Urban Forum on the topic of urban tourism in Africa. A context is provided for the issue by an overview of key themes which have been represented in a decade of African urban tourism research. Although most extant research is on urban South Africa, there is an emerging literature on other African cities. The major themes of research have surrounded tourism and urban economic restructuring with the establishment of new products for leisure tourism; slum tourism and pro-poor tourism; the role of the accommodation sector; African cities as non-leisure destinations; and, informal sector tourism. It is argued that within the evolving international scholarship on urban tourism, aspects of African urban tourism research exhibit distinctive features and offer challenges to Northern conceptions of urban tourism and urban tourists.     

The Asset Procurement and Operating Partnership system (APOPS) for prisons in South Africa

The global shift from public to private financing of infrastructure development has led to a search for alternative and innovative procurement techniques. A public–private partnership is one innovative procurement strategy for infrastructure development. When the process described in this paper was initially developed, public-private partnerships for infrastructure delivery was a new concept in South Africa. The Department of Public Works (DPW), South Africa, developed the framework for Asset Procurement and Operating Partnership System (APOPS). As with other private finance initiatives, APOPS aimed to reduce governments’ capital requirements, yet maintain the clear accountability of state ownership and embrace the capital efficiency savings and creativity of private enterprise. This paper provides a case study of the implementation of the APOPS process. Specifically, the paper examines the project management procedures and the difficulties faced in procuring infrastructure using public–private partnership in a developing country.     

Special Economic Zones in South Africa: Reflections from International Debates

South Africa’s experience with spatial economic interventions has had a chequered history with the Industrial Development Zone programme most recently failing to generate anticipated development. Current policy has shifted to the imminent launch of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) as tools for national (re)industrial development and supporting underdeveloped regions. This paper reflects on recent South African experience with spatial economic interventions and international experience with SEZs paying particular attention to their strengths, weakness and key establishment considerations. It is argued that unfolding South African SEZ planning can be strengthened by learning from the ‘good’ and ‘bad practice’ of international SEZs.     

Small Town Redevelopment: The Benefits and Costs of Local Economic Development in Alicedale

Small towns, internationally and in South Africa specifically, are generally experiencing a phase of slow economic decline. The process is not inevitable and as this paper illustrates, with reference to the former South African railway town of Alicedale, towns can be given a new lease of life. The key in this town’s revival has been the formation of a strong public–private partnerships, which has partially drawn in the community sector and focused on tourism-based development. The paper details the development process, key challenges experienced, and the results attained; it discusses the degree to which the community has actually benefited and speculates about the value of the Alicedale experience as an example for other small towns.     

Regulating sanitation services in sub-saharan africa: An overview of the regulation of emptying and transport of faecal sludge in 20 cities and its implementation

Onsite sanitation is widely used in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) cities. Safe transportation and emptying of the resulting faecal sludge are essential for healthy cities. Typically provided by an informal and unmonitored private sector, these services are being increasingly regulated. This research provides an overview of the regulatory mechanisms in place in 20 cities across SSA, their implementation and emerging common trends. Findings highlight the diversity of tools, mechanisms, and capabilities. We conclude that incremental and pragmatic change is needed to achieve fully regulated services, with adequate implementation particularly facilitated by support and incentive mechanisms, and participation of all stakeholders.     

Local Investment Incentives for Urban Economic Development: Recent Debates in South African Cities

The importance of improving the local business environment is an issue of central concern for municipal authorities in South Africa. This article explores debates around territorial competition through the application of local investment incentives. The paper analyses unfolding South African debates concerning the possible introduction of local investment incentives through the policy experience of two South African cities, namely Durban and Cape Town. It is concluded that South African cities must be aware of the key lessons from international experience and formulate carefully crafted or ‘smart’ investment incentive policies. In particular, the introduction of investment incentives should not be a substitute for dealing with other fundamental aspects of the local business environment which impact upon investment decision-making.     

Housing supply and residential segregation in Ireland

The article examines the role of housing supply in ethnic diversity and the residential segregation of Asian, African and eastern European immigrants from Irish nationals in Ireland. Housing supply is defined as the proportions of new housing, private rental accommodation and social housing among all housing units in an electoral district. Multivariate regressions reveal that, among all three housing supply variables, the proportion of private rentals had the largest effect on ethnic diversity and immigrant— Irish segregation. Areas with higher proportions of private rental units were more ethnically diverse, had greater presences of Africans, Asians and eastern Europeans (as opposed to high concentrations of Irish nationals) and exhibited greater integration between each of the three immigrant groups and Irish nationals. The article concludes with a discussion of immigrant assimilation and questions whether the patterns of residential integration observed would further facilitate other forms of social inclusion for immigrants in Irish society.     

Self-help Housing as a Flexible Instrument of State Control in 20th-century South Africa

There is a long and varied usage of self-help housing policy in South Africa, dating from colonial times when Africans were dumped in locations and left to build their own housing, to the present post apartheid reconstruction. The paper documents and periodises the adoption of self-help strategies for housing the African population of South African cities throughout the 20th century. Exploration of the practice of self-help housing practices in Johannesburg suggests that owner construction is a prevailing method of social engineering, whose acceptance or rejection reflects perceived political and economic advantages for the state and the private sector, and is not a simple response to a shortage of affordable shelter among the poor.     

Shared Growth in Urban Tourism: Evidence from Soweto,South Africa

This paper addresses the under-researched theme of the role of small- and medium-sized enterprises in urban tourism. An analysis is undertaken of key constraints surrounding the potential of tourism small firms (or SMEs) to contribute toward shared growth in the urban developing world. Evidence is provided from recent research conducted on small enterprise development and urban tourism in post-apartheid Soweto, a locality with a rich political history that has come to symbolize the political freedom of the “new South Africa.”     

‘Day Labour’ and ‘Xenophobia’ in South Africa: the Need for Mixed Methods Approaches in Policy-Orientated Research

Much policy-orientated research in South Africa relies solely on large-scale surveys. Little or no case study research is undertaken as part of studies despite broad international acknowledgement of the benefits of mixing methods. In the South African poverty and demographic literature, strong arguments have been made for the incorporation of case study approaches to arrive at a deeper and more accurate understanding of social phenomena. This paper, which draws on an ethnographic study of ‘day labourers’ (both South African and foreign) in Cape Town, together with an extensive range of relevant literature, extends this line of argument to research on casual employment and relations between South Africans and foreign nationals. It highlights a number of questionable assumptions and superficial analyses present in previous survey-based research on these topics. It also discusses the potential contribution of more case study work and some of the practical issues associated with linking methodologies in development research.     

The Perceived Authenticity of Iconic Heritage Sites in Urban Tourism: the Case of Constitutional Hill,Johannesburg, South Africa

Cultural heritage sites play multiple roles in the development of urban tourism. Amongst these roles, the authentic properties of cultural heritage generate a sense of place, are the main source of authentic tourist experience and assume an important role in reaffirming cultural and national identity. This paper provides a contribution to authenticity discourse both theoretically and empirically. The study examines and re-evaluates the main sources of authenticity of tourist experience generated from South African iconic places which serve a dual function, as ‘must-see’ tourist attractions and as places of new post-1994 national African identity building. The focus is the Constitution Hill heritage site in Johannesburg. The research explores how authentic is the individual tourist experience of the site and whether differences exist in the way domestic and international tourists perceive the authenticity of the iconic place as representative of new South African identity. The results show that the majority of tourists perceive the place as authentic and derive an authentic experience from the visit. No statistically significant differences are observed between the experience of domestic versus international tourists’ experience of the site which was measured by four variables of authentic experience, namely, attraction, attention, outcomes and feelings.     

Conference and exhibition tourism in the developing world: The South African experience

Conclusion Tourism scholarship concerning conferences and exhibitions is dominated by writings concerned with developed countries. An examination of the South African experience, therefore, provides a useful complement to the existing writings and reveals certain parallel themes, particularly concerning issues of local development. Historically, in the apartheid period the market for conference and exhibition tourism was based upon domestic demand. After the democratic transition, however, it is evident that new opportunities were opened for the attraction of international conferences and exhibitions to South Africa. Undoubtedly, a watershed event in the development of South African participation in the global market for conferences was the successful hosting in Johannesburg during 2002 of the World Summit on Sustainable Development. The positive local development impacts of the attraction of such conferences have been the essential catalyst for the development and continuous upgrading of three international quality convention centres in the country. These three major convention facilities represent the apex of an estimated 1700 conference and exhibition centres that currently exist across South Africa and serve both domestic and international MICE markets. With heightened levels of competition for the conference and exhibition market—both domestic and international—uncertainty surrounds the long-term prospects of many of these facilities. The task of monitoring the progress, dynamics and changing fortunes of conference and exhibition tourism merits a place on the research agenda of urban tourism studies in South Africa over the next decade.     

The Boutique Hotel Industry in South Africa: Definition,Scope, and Organization

South Africa’s hotel industry has attracted only limited academic writings. This paper focuses on the emergence and development of boutique hotels. In common with the international tourism economy, the contemporary hotel industry of South Africa is experiencing increased differentiation of new product offerings. The boutique hotel represents a new element within the South African hotel sector. Developers of boutique hotels have sought to distinguish this new tourism product in terms of its experiential qualities with strong emphasis placed upon the production of high levels of design, ambience, and offerings of personalized service. Mainly patronized by European tourists, the spatial pattern of these small hotel properties is distinctive with Cape Town, the major focus for their development. Key issues facing boutique hotels relate to the lack of recognition by the national grading authority of their distinctive experiential qualities.     

Urban Volunteer Tourism: Orphanages in Johannesburg

Volunteer tourism is one of the most vibrant forms of alternative tourism and a particular focus in Africa. Despite a growing stream of international volunteer tourists, African scholarship is undeveloped. South Africa offers the largest range of different volunteer tourism opportunities in Africa which includes work in community welfare projects such as orphanages. This research opens up debates around urban volunteer tourism in South Africa. The investigation is a case study of international volunteer tourists at orphanages in Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest city. The aim was to understand the volunteer tourism channel to Johannesburg and reflect upon the impacts of this controversial form of volunteer tourism. The findings point to the strongly positive benefits of these volunteers for the orphanages and the children in Johannesburg. Among possible explanations is that ‘place matters’ and that volunteers choosing to work in the orphanages of South Africa’s business capital, a city that has a fearful reputation in respect of crime and safety of visitors, are committed to ‘making a difference’ in their volunteer work.     

Are South Africa’s cities too small?

Are South African cities to small? Given the history of South Africa’s spatial development, one might expect that South African cities might be under-sized, and not over-sized as in many other developing countries. It is found that the rank-size distribution explains the sizes of South Africa’s cities but that Zipf’s Law does not hold for the country’s cities. The so-called q-coefficient was found to be equal to −0.75 for the 123 places with population in excess of 100 000. It was also found that urbanisation in South Africa over the past decade seems to have taken the form of the parallel (slow, 1.04%) growth of five large cities. Finally, calculating the “H-measure” for 19 metropolitan areas in South Africa yields an inverse H-measure of 11.3. This suggests a reasonable degree of dispersal, which would only be consistent with optimal city size if transport costs were low and manufacturing not in need of scale economies; two conditions unlikely to apply to South Africa. Finally, the primacy ratio for South Africa’s largest urban agglomeration was found to be 38%. This suggests that the size of the Johannesburg-East Rand urban agglomeration (the primate city) may be relatively too large, whereas more efficient growth may come from larger harbour cities.