The Government does not know what is a tourist
A recent visit to my house by the Department of Statistics proved to me something that I have thought for a long time namely that the Government does not know what a tourist is and therefore cannot plan properly for tourist market expansion.
The questionnaire of the Department of Statistics used a definition of someone whom travels more than 40km from their house as being a tourist and as we know, in South Africa this is most of the population on a daily basis. The statistics that are therefore made available for other Departments and business to make decisions upon are flawed and can lead to costly mistakes.
Let us look at what is a tourist?
The dictionary says a tourist is: “a person who travels for pleasure, usually sightseeing and staying in hotels, etc.”
The dictionary further tells us that a “traveller” is: “a person who travels habitually or commercially”
To this I would like to add my own definition, namely that of the “holiday-maker”: ”a person who travels locally in his/her own country to visit friends or a habitual location”
The last definition includes most South Africans at some time and also includes most arrivals from elsewhere in Africa. The spend of these people in traditional tourist businesses is virtually non-existent and cannot be included in any projections of potential income for tourist related companies.
If we take the holiday-makers away from the totals given by the Government then the picture looks very different. This affects mostly the rural areas such as here in the Northern Cape. We see many holiday-makers pass through our region, either on the way to Botswana or Namibia and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The business potential of these visitors is largely concentrated on the supply of fuel and food as they camp at their destination. The South African holiday-maker is also one who tends to travel great distances in a day to get to the final destination and as such even camp sites and chalet facilities along the way struggle to survive.
It has also been noticed lately that as a result of the economic downturn, even commercial travellers are not travelling as often or staying in as expensive accommodation as before. They have even resorted to bringing a tent with and camping in some instances.
The oft-quoted World Travel Organisation claim that for every eleventh additional tourist to an area, one new job is created, becomes somewhat blurred in light of the above. However, if we look at the broader picture of travel and tourism then we get closer to that mark. We have to realise that no matter what we do in the town, we are part of the tourism marketing potential of the area. No matter if you only answer the phone in an office, that friendly voice is an ambassador for the town and region. Good service to both locals and foreigners alike will increase the return visit percentage and in that lies the potential to grow the industry.
Those travelling on vacation believe there is some experience available elsewhere, which cannot be found at home and, which makes travel worthwhile. In the simplest of terms we can identify the main purpose behind the journeys which millions of people make each year. These can be broken down into four primary motives:
- Pleasure — this includes other features like adventure, relaxation, sightseeing and family re-unions.
- Business — which embraces both private enterprise and public activity like attending conferences.
- Health — including visits for treatment at Sanatoria and “spas” as well as getting away from emotional and business pressures (stress).
- Education — embracing a wide range of formal and informal studies.
The introduction of the Internet has made the tourist a more sophisticated being and has, as a result, raised the bar on service delivery and moral ethics of the industry. The green movement and “Pro-poor” tourism are the buzzwords of the day.
If we as South Africa are to keep up the momentum created by the world cup and turn this into real tourism growth we must deliver products that include the poorest of the nation in a meaningful and uplifting way as they are the key to success. Not only will this mean jobs for all but it will be a product that will be reasonably priced and ethically marketable as it does not include any exploitation.
So ignore what the Government figures have to say, we can grow our tourism in a meaningful way if we stick to the guidelines above and remember service is the Alpha and Omega.
Dr Graham Page
Tourism Business Consultant
