Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series

Title:
Battlefields Tourism: The status of heritage tourism in Dundee, South Africa

Author

Clinton David van der Merwe - University of the Witwatersrand, Department of Geography, Social & Economic Sciences, School of Education, Faculty of Humanities, Johannesburg, South Africa; University of Johannesburg, Department of Geography, Environmental Management and Energy Studies, Johannesburg, South Africa; e-mail: clinton.vandermerwe@wits.ac.za

Keywords
Battlefields Tourism; heritage Tourism; local development; South Africa

Abstract
Heritage tourism is a significant contemporary facet of tourism in many developing countries. This paper analyses the economic opportunities for battlefield- heritage tourism in South Africa by examining the battlefields route within KwaZulu-Natal. Through structured interviews with stakeholders and structured questionnaires with visitors and local residents, this research explores the understanding of heritage tourism as well as perceptions of its influence on the physical landscape and gauges the importance of this form of tourism as a driver for local economic development in South Africa. Dundee, a small coal-mining town in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa - where several battlefields are found, is used as a case study. The study demonstrates that several issues need to be addressed if this niche of cultural and heritage tourism is to be a sustainable and responsible form of tourism in South Africa.

Pages:
121-139

DOI:
10.2478/bog-2014-0049

BGSS No. 26 (2014)