General information about South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a land of contrast and majestic beauty. It has an area of 1,223,410 square kilometres which covers the southern most part of the African continent. South Africa is flanked by two oceans, namely the Atlantic Ocean on the west and the Indian Ocean on the east. In the north its borders are with Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. South Africa boasts an unspoilt countryside with a coastline that stretches in excess of 2500 km, it is also renowned for its spacious deserts, rugged mountains with snow covered peaks and an impressive array of flora and fauna. It is often described as "a world in one country".
The people of South Africa are widely regarded for their friendly, hospitable and often curious nature towards visitors. It has a population of 45 million people from many different ethnic origins. The population is made up of 75 per cent black people, 13 per cent whites, 8 per cent coloureds (people of mixed descent) and 3 per cent of Asian descent. In the aptly named "rainbow Nation" there are 11 official languages namely English, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Zulu, Sotho, Swati, Pedi, Tswana, Venda, Tsonga and Ndebele, but English is the more commonly understood and spoken language.
The country is divided into nine provinces: Eastern Cape, Kwazulu Natal, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Freestate, Northern Cape, North Province, North West and Western Cape. There are two capital cities, Pretoria is the administrative capital and Cape Town houses the parliament.
South Africa's history is plagued with wars over land between the black natives and European settlers, which eventually led to mass oppression of the black nation. The past century was known as the era of apartheid, a regime of racial segregation with laws designed to crush the rights of the blacks to guarantee political and economic power to the white minority. This policy led to the country's international isolation and many years of economic and trade embargo.
Analysis of South Africa's tourism industry
The abolishment of apartheid in 1994 soon led to the removal of international sanctions, this in turn was followed by an unexpected boom in South Africa's tourism industry. In 1995 Satour (South African Tourism) announced that 1.1 million tourists had visited South Africa which was an increase of 52.1 per cent from the previous year. Although the sudden boom of 1994 to 1996 can not be repeated, analysts assure that tourism will maintain its upward trend. According to statistics published by "Statistics South Africa 1999", the annual number of overseas visitors had increased by 6.37 per cent. In 1999 there were 1,519,000 tourists who visited South Africa in comparison to the 1,428,401 tourists who visited the country in 1998. The majority of those visitors were the British, who were closely followed by approximately 183,870 German tourists. In the past, travelling to South Africa meant supporting a policy of segregation, this has eventually changed because incoming tourism supports a new democratic South Africa and the development of a multicultural and multiracial society.
Many visitors are mainly attracted to the country's unparalleled wildlife, scenic beauty and its cultural diversity. South Africa has more than 17 National Parks and 118 Provincial Parks which cover an area of 36,097 square kilometres. The world famous Kruger National Park is the oldest and largest game reserve in the world. Nature and adventure travel is a very lucrative trade and various tour operators specialise in eco-orientated tours and safaris. The country is on its way to becoming the world's leading eco-destination. Wilderness trails are fully booked during the year and the Kruger National Park can only accommodate one-fifth of the visitor demand during school holidays and other peak periods. Therefore bookings for national parks are already open 11 months in advance. Tourists in search of wildlife come mainly to see the "Big Five" (elephant, buffalo, lion, rhino and leopard) which are favourite amongst photographers and nature lovers. Hunting is also a major attraction for visitors, it is often an underestimated industry but on average overseas hunters spend 1000 per cent more than the average sightseer. Besides the financial gain, hunting is conservation orientated and selective hunting also helps to maintain an ecological balance.
Cape Town and the Western Cape are popularly known as South Africa's top travel destinations. Tourists can climb up Table Mountain (the city's most well-known landmark), as well as go shopping at the V&A Waterfront, visit art galleries and craft markets. Numerous tour agencies organise trips to Robben Island (the notorious prison where Nelson Mandela was held for 27 years), or help you embark on an excursion to the Cape of Good Hope, where the two oceans meet. Another popular day trip not to be missed is exploring the wine estates out in Paarl, Stellenbosch and Franschoek, which are all world renowned for their superb wines and breath taking splendour and beauty. Here you can do wine tasting trips and guided cellar tours.
Along the eastern coast is one of the Western Cape's main attractions, the Garden Route. It is a scenic route with stunning beaches that stretch along the coast from Swellendam to Humansdorp. The Garden Route is ideal for any type of water sport such as surfing, diving, deep sea fishing, shark cage diving and whale watching. These are just some of the many attractions that this country has to offer its guests.
The question that now arises is whether South Africa's existing infrastructure can cope with the tourism boom. Although its infrastructure is rated as the best on the whole continent, a recent investigation has shown deficiencies in some areas such as public transport, safety, accommodation and conference facilities. The problem mainly occurs in peak seasons when a rapid increase of visitors is met by a lack of adequate facilities, which is then followed by prices being raised to cope with the demand.
The hospitality market provides a wide range of establishments in order to accommodate all needs and expectations. Tourists will find everything from youth hostels to the bed & breakfast inns that cater for the low-budget market, to luxurious 5 star hotels and luxury game lodges for those with more income to spare. Numerous hotel chains such as Protea Hotels and Southern Sun are restructuring to renovate their hotels or expand on the national hotel market to raise their capacities and adapt their facilities to international standards.
To make internal travelling more convenient the government has made efforts to upgrade and maintain the existing road infrastructure. With the help of a network of transport systems and the use of every conceivable means of transport such as planes, trains, boats, luxury busses, caravans or 4x4 vehicles it is possible to reach even the most remotest destinations.
There is a well-developed railway infrastructure and the world renowned Blue train that runs between Pretoria and Cape Town, Johannesburg/Pretoria and Victoria Falls as well as Pretoria and Nelspruit is an experience not to be missed.
South Africa has a good network of roads. 84,000 km of the roads are tarred and even the secondary roads are usually in good condition. Bus tours are becoming increasingly popular as a way to explore every corner of the country. Bus companies such as Springbok-Atlas Safaris, Connex Travel and Baz Buz offer their services countrywide. It is also very common to travel by private car. A number of international car rental firms e.g. Avis, Imperial and Budget are established in South Africa and serve in all major cities, airports and some of the larger game parks.
The air traffic to the country has been expanded over the years to provide a better access to the destination from all over the world. Johannesburg is the main international airport but there has recently been an increase in the number of international flights flying directly to Durban and Cape Town. South Africa is currently served by more than 75 airlines and air tickets are available at competitive prices. Many carriers have increased their flights to South Africa to keep up with the demand. South Africa's own main carrier, SAA (South African Airlines), flies twice a day from Frankfurt to Johannesburg and holds a 30 per cent share of all international flights to South Africa.
The tourism industry is now starting to be considered as a major player in the country's economy. In the current financial year the amount of revenue collected from the tourism sector alone, which includes tour operators, car hire companies and the hospitality industry, was R 22,359,329 (approx. DM 6,775,554). Most importantly though is that tourism is an invaluable job creator that employs more than 800,000 South Africans.
The challenges to the tourism industry
Being part of the subtropical zone and having a perennially sunny and warm climate makes it possible to market South Africa as a year round destination. But in comparison, world-wide the country is only a small player in the international tourism market with a share of 0,25%.
Efforts must now be undertaken to enable the further growth of tourism. Above all, must be the improvement and expansion of existing facilities and infrastructure including airports and accommodation facilities. In addition to that there must be tourism training and education to create a service culture which ensures improved service and standards. South Africa's tourism potential lies in its environmental resources, unspoilt nature and wildlife. Consequently, the conservation and wise utilisation of the natural resources are a condition of the development of the tourism industry.
Another problem that the country has to deal with is the enormous poverty and unemployment which have led to a high crime rate. People will only visit a destination if their personal safety can be guaranteed. For that reason special police units have already been implemented, safeguarding visitors against the danger of muggings and attacks.
In conclusion it is rightly said that South Africa is one of the "sleeping giants" of the tourism world, it is a country still full of unexplored potential and is just waiting to be revealed as a world-class destination.
Copyright Alexandra Stenzel 2001, www.business-english-world.de
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