Browsing by Author "George, Richard"

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    Creating change in responsible tourism management through social marketing
    (2010) George, Richard; Frey, Nicole
    The global threat of climate change, diminishing natural resources and significant socio-economic inequalities is forcing companies and individuals to evaluate the impact they are having on the natural, social and economic environments. This trend has led to an increased availability and demand for socially, environmentally and economically responsible products. The tourism industry relies heavily on the sustained beauty and hospitality of the places and communities it operates in and has come under pressure to manage its negative impacts. Change in the industry has, however, been limited. This paper investigates the current attitudes and perceptions of tourism business owners in Cape Town towards responsible tourism management (RTM) practices in order to develop social marketing strategies that can influence positive behaviour change in management. Cape Town as an internationally acclaimed top tourism destination needs to urgently address its low levels of responsible tourism evidence. Survey data of 244 tourism businesses was used to statistically test what factors are causing the low levels of RTM practices in Cape Town. Findings suggest that despite general positive attitudes towards RTM, tourism businesses are not investing time and money into changing management practices. This is a common emerging market phenomenon where resource constraints negatively impact the relationship between what businesses would like to do and what actually gets done. Factors such as the perceived cost of RTM, a highly competitive environment and a perceived lack of government support are further negatively influencing this relationship. Recommendations are made as to how social marketing can be used to encourage businesses to adopt RTM practices by reducing the perceived and actual costs of implementing RTM. The paper discusses what channels should be implemented to facilitate change.
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    The effect of responsible tourism management practices on business performance in an emerging market
    (2007) Frey, Nicole; George, Richard
    Climate change, diminishing natural resources and a host of socio-economic challenges have fuelled the demands on businesses to manage their operations in a more sustainable and responsible manner. Global pressure, changing consumer demands and proof of business benefits have driven the growth in the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR). The tourism sector, however, despite being highly dependent on natural and human capital, has been slow to react to this trend. This paper investigates which factors influence the attitudes and perceptions of business managers towards responsible tourism management (RTM) and the effect that these attitudes and perceptions have on business performance. A conceptual model was developed to consider the relationships between managers' attitudes, management intention and business performance. Additionally variables considered to have disruptive power, such as managers' gender, highest level of education achieved, personal values, level of competitiveness, and industry sub-sector, were also included in the model. The analysis showed that despite the positive attitudes of tourism managers towards RTM, evidence of employee training, local procurement, and H IV/Aids policies is limited. Only 12.7% have an HIV/Aids policy and merely 13.7% carry the Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA) trademark. Factors disrupting the linear relationship between attitude and behaviour include the level of competitiveness in the business environment, the industry subsector, business size and the perceived costs of implementing RTM. The findings confirm previous research that a majority of South African tourism businesses are not adopting responsible tourism practices despite the evident need and benefits thereof. The findings from the research, however, also suggest that businesses who are employing RTM practices enjoy tangible business benefits ranging from increased employee morale to bottom line profits. The tourism industry in South Africa has been strongly criticised for its lack of transformation. Various government policies have been developed to encourage and expedite the spread of numerous benefits stemming from tourism to more South Africans. These include employment opportunities, small medium and micro enterprise (SMME) development, and poverty reduction. Social marketing campaigns by government tourism agencies aimed at influencing tourism businesses' management style should consider the findings from this study. Strategies will be more effective if the channels to implement RTM are made simpler, if the tourism industry feels supported by government to implement these changes, if the relative size of the business is taking into consideration, and if the perceived costs of RTM are addressed. It is imperative that the potential business benefits of RTM, including increased brand loyalty, product differentiation, marketing opportunities, and profits are communicated to tourism business managers. RTM, thus, becomes a strategic business choice for companies seeking to gain a competitive advantage. It benefits both the company and the society at large. Ultimately, a more sustainable and competitive South African tourism industry will result if business objectives of profit-maximisation are aligned with social and environmental goals.
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    Exploring the signalling potential of mega-sporting events : an analysis of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa
    (2016) Jenkins, David; Botha, Elsamari; George, Richard
    Mega-sporting events such as the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil have been observed to serve as highly influential tools for the promotion of positive media impressions surrounding the host destination. Drawing from the field of existing knowledge surrounding the sociology of sport, the media and media content analysis, this study reports on a media content analysis conducted on the local news coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in selected South African newspapers. Monitoring coverage over and eight-year pre- and post-event period, the analysis identified five principal themes: stadiums; safety and security; Bafana-Bafana; social-impact; and economic-impact. The findings indicated a cyclical-type shift in conversation, where focus was placed on impressions of host-nation capabilities and readiness in the lead up to the event, to profound euphoria, unity and pride during the hosting stages of the event, and finally onto critical impact and legacy evaluation in the post-event phase. The sentiment of the coverage was largely balanced across all periods, with the total number of positive references only slightly exceeding that of negative references. These findings serve as critical insight to the work of event organisers, media managers and policy developers alike, whom all hold a vested interest in managing the perceived impressions of mega-sporting events. Practical implications for these stakeholders include: i) establishing greater clarity with respect to the overall signalling benefits of mega-sporting; and ii) informing media management campaigns to reinforce the power of mega-sporting events as a positive reference point - especially in the post-event legacy period.
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    Importance of social media in the information sourcing phase during the decision-making process of the South African traveller
    (2014) Leugering, Marvin; George, Richard
    The Internet and the emergence of social media have a significant effect on the tourism industry world-wide. Tourists can search for advice online from strangers and friends who have visited the destination in the past. Research indicates that this information source is perceived as more credible than traditional marketing material such as Web sites, brochures or other forms of advertisements. More specifically, information sources on social media assist the tourist in evaluating alternatives in order to make an informed purchasing- decision. Destination marketing organisations and tourism enterprises need to understand the role that social media plays in the decision-making process in order to create effective marketing strategies online. This research paper places the focus on the South African traveller and which online sources s/he uses to search for travel information before going on holiday. Social media sources in particularly will be under investigation. There has been a dearth of research conducted in this area on emerging markets such as South Africa and this paper will fill an important gap in the academic literature. The database for this research was acquired from Travelstart; a leading digital travel agency in South Africa.
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    The personal and situational factors influencing decision-making by long-haul travellers' in relation to crime-risk : an empirical investigation
    (2004) George, Richard; Pizam, Abraham; Brice, Helèné
    Includes bibliographical references (leaves 191-213).
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    A profile of international participants of the 2004 Cape Argus Pick 'n Pay Cycle Tour
    (2005) Shaffie, Rushan; George, Richard
    Sport tourism is a niche market within the broad field of tourism in South Africa. The tourism industry of this country is relatively young in terms of development when compared to European and American countries as a result of the retardation caused by apartheid. While the leisure tourist market in South Africa continues to be researched extensively, the niche Special Interest Tourism (SIT) markets, particularly that of sport tourism, are being overlooked to a great extent and continue the struggle to reach the levels of similar, developed markets. Many other aspects of the sport tourism industry of South Africa require research, to provide the knowledge that will help the country position itself adequately and capitalise on this market. This Includes investigation into SA as a host destination of events, profiling the international sport tourists who visit SA as well as the domestic sport tourists that travel to sporting events within the country. The Cape Argus Pick 'n Pay Cycle Tour (CAPPCT) is a world-renowned event and satisfies the criteria of the definition of a hallmark event i.e. "Major one-time or recurring events of limited duration, developed primarily to enhance the awareness, appeal and profitability of a tourism destination in the short and/or long term. Such events rely for their success on uniqueness, status or timely significance to create interest and attract attention". Consequently, this event was selected as the ideal event on which to investigate the above-mentioned aspects. Sport tourists' choices are influenced by many intrinsic and extrinsic factors. These intrinsic factors include the inherent needs and motivations that drive the individual. The widely used Needs hierarchy depicts the order in which an individual's needs are satisfied. One begins with the lower-order needs such as nutrition, shelter, security, which are followed by higher-order needs such as social acceptance, status and self-actualisation. The notion is that as lower order needs are satisfied, higher order needs that are more associated with the ego than the body, take precedence and become more important. In addition one's identity and how one seeks to define it are of great importance. Many spectators and players define themselves by the sports that they play and the teams that they support (and identify with), to a great extent. An external factor such as sub-cultural membership provides the individual with a different set of benefits and ultimately fulfills higher level needs far more effectively.