COVID-19, Tourist Destinations and Prospects for Recovery : Volume Three: A South African and Zimbabwean Perspective

There has been a segmented approach to documenting the impact of COVID-19 and recovery prospects for global tourism destinations. Until this volume, though, there has not been comprehensive, concentrated efforts to take a deep-dive look into two countries’ tourism destinations in order to provide a comparative perspective. This book fills this gap by analyzing tourism impacts and recovery prospects in both Zimbabwe and South Africa. The volume opens with an introductory chapter from the editors that provide context and background. Part I of the volume looks at the impacts of COVID-19 on Zimbabwe and South Africa, Part II focuses on tourism operations during the pandemic, and Part III focuses on tourism recovery initiatives and prospects. The concluding chapter from the editors provides practical and policy implementation. This book is the third and final component of a three-volume set on the impact of COVID-19 on destination tourism around the world. Preface Acknowledgements Contents About the Editors Contributors Part I: Background and Introduction Chapter 1: COVID-19 Tourism Impact, Recovery and Resilience: South African and Zimbabwean Experience 1.1 Introduction and Background 1.2 COVID-19 Impact, Recovery and Resilience in South Africa 1.3 Zimbabwe Travel Trends and COVID-19 Recovery 1.3.1 COVID-19 Impact, Recovery and Resilience of Zimbabwe’s Tourism Destinations 1.4 Book Conceptualisation and Structure 1.4.1 Study Area 1.4.2 Key Methodological Approaches 1.5 Book Outline References Part II: Impacts of COVID-19 on Tourist Destinations in Zimbabwe and South Africa Chapter 2: Impacts of COVID-19 on Hotels and Lodges in Tourism Destination Areas in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Methodology 2.2.1 Study Area 2.2.2 Sampling 2.2.3 Data Collection 2.2.4 Data Analysis 2.3 Results and Discussion 2.3.1 Findings on Impacts of COVID-19 on Hotels/Lodges in Bulawayo Urban 2.3.2 Findings on Strategies Employed by Hotels and Lodges in Bulawayo Urban to Combat COVID-19 Impacts 2.3.3 Lessons Learnt by Hotels and Lodges in Bulawayo Urban 2.3.4 Recommendations by Respondents 2.3.5 Sector-Wide Response Strategies 2.3.6 Technology Advancement and Maintenance of Health Protocols 2.3.7 Diversify Incomes 2.3.8 Staff Development and Training 2.3.9 Educate the Guests 2.3.10 Changes in Marketing Strategies 2.3.11 Insurance Policy and Risk Management Plan 2.4 Summary and Conclusions References Chapter 3: The Impacts of Covid-19 on the Traditional African Food and Beverage Expo at the Amagugu International Heritage Centre, Zimbabwe 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Overview of the Food and Beverage Expo as a Cultural Tourism Destination 3.2.1 History of the Expo 3.2.2 Growth of the Expo as a Tourist Destination 3.3 Methodology 3.4 Findings 3.4.1 Restrictions 3.4.2 Loss of Revenue 3.4.3 Infrastructure 3.4.4 Employment 3.4.5 Activities Conducted During Lockdown 3.4.6 Sustainable Recovery Plans 3.4.7 Discussion 3.5 Conclusion References Chapter 4: The Impact of COVID-19 on the Tourism Sector in Harare and Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Literature Review 4.2.1 Global and Local Overview of the Impact of COVID-19 on the Tourism Industry 4.2.2 Emerging Strategies in the Global Tourism Industry to Cope with the COVID-19 Pandemic 4.2.2.1 Virtual Tourism 4.2.2.2 Government Support 4.2.2.3 Support from the Financial Sector 4.2.2.4 Safety and Security 4.3 Theoretical Framework 4.4 Research Methodology 4.4.1 Data Collection Methods 4.5 Data Analysis 4.6 Findings and Discussion 4.6.1 Impacts of COVID-19 Lockdown Restriction on the Zimbabwean Travel and Tourism Industry 4.6.1.1 Business Shutdown (Travel Restrictions and Shutdown of Places of Tourism) 4.6.1.2 Job Losses 4.6.1.3 Government Support to the Travel and Tourism Sector During Lockdown Restrictions 4.6.1.4 Health Implications 4.6.2 Emerging Sustainability Strategies During and Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic 4.6.2.1 Diversifying Travel and Tourism Activities 4.6.2.2 Cost-Cutting Measures 4.6.2.3 Increased Healthy and Safety Measures 4.6.2.4 Capacity Building 4.7 Conclusion References Chapter 5: Impact of COVID-19 on Nature-Based Tourism Electric Energy Emissions in South African National Parks 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Literature Review 5.2.1 Impact of COVID-19 on Tourism Emissions 5.2.2 COVID-19 Impacts on Energy Demand, Consumption and Emissions 5.2.3 Impact of COVID-19 on Energy Transition and Renewables 5.3 Materials and Methods 5.4 Results 5.4.1 Energy Consumption and Emissions Before and During Lockdown 5.4.2 SANParks Staff Versus Tourism Energy Carbon Emissions Before and During COVID-19 5.4.3 Future Electricity Energy Savings in Short to Medium Term (2021–2026) 5.5 Discussion 5.5.1 Energy Consumption and Carbon Emission Before and During Lockdown 5.5.2 SANParks Staff Versus Tourism Emissions Before and During COVID-19 5.5.3 Renewable Energy Changes Due to COVID-19 5.6 Conclusion References Chapter 6: The Impact of COVID-19 on Rural Tourism Enterprises and Their Future Growth Prospects in Zimbabwe 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Literature Review 6.3 Research Design 6.4 Ethical Considerations 6.5 Findings/Results 6.5.1 Product Offering 6.5.2 Impact of Covid-19 on Business Performance 6.5.3 Other Social Impacts of the Pandemic 6.5.4 Recovery Support from Government 6.5.5 Marketing Coping Mechanisms 6.6 Discussion 6.6.1 Impact of COVID-19 on Tourist Arrivals 6.7 Future Growth Prospects of Rural Tourism Enterprises 6.8 Study Implications 6.9 Conclusion 6.10 Recommendations References Part III: Management of COVID-19 in Tourist Destinations in Zimbabwe and South Africa Chapter 7: Women’s Participation in Community-Based Tourism During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case of Sengwe Community in Zimbabwe 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Literature Review 7.2.1 Participatory Techniques in CBT 7.2.2 Passive Participation 7.2.3 Participation by Giving Information 7.2.4 Participation by Consulting 7.2.5 Participation by Material Incentives 7.2.6 Interactive Participation 7.2.7 Self-Mobilisation 7.3 Materials and Methods 7.3.1 Study Setting 7.3.2 Methods 7.4 Results and Discussion 7.4.1 Women’s Participation in CBT Before the Outbreak of COVID-19 7.4.2 Participation During the COVID-19 Pandemic 7.5 Conclusions References Chapter 8: Towards a Management Intervention Framework for Mahenye Ecotourism Biophysical Resources to Cope and Recover from COVID-19 Pandemic Shocks 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Literature Review 8.3 Materials and Methods 8.3.1 Study Area 8.3.2 Data Collection and Analysis 8.4 Results and Discussion 8.4.1 Perceived Shocks Emanating from the COVID-19 Pandemic on Biophysical Resources 8.4.1.1 Biodiversity Losses 8.4.1.2 Heightened Risk of Wild Animals Contracting COVID-19 from Humans 8.4.2 Coping and Recovery Strategies for Biophysical Resources 8.4.3 Management Intervention Framework Towards the Sustainable Recovery of Ecotourism Biophysical Resources Following the COVID-19 Pandemic 8.5 Conclusions References Chapter 9: Locking in Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic for Tourism Destinations: A Case Study of Wildlife Destinations 9.1 Introduction 9.1.1 Tourism and the Global Sustainable Development Agenda 9.1.2 The Nexus of Tourism and the COVID-19 Pandemic 9.2 Methodology 9.2.1 Research Design 9.2.2 Case Study 9.2.3 Methodological Approach 9.2.4 Data Interpretation 9.3 Discussions 9.3.1 Promoting Tourism as a Tool for Conserving the Planet’s Ecosystem 9.3.2 Cultural Heritage Promotion and Conservation 9.3.3 Wildlife Tourism Destination’s Embracement of the Fourth Industrial Revolution 9.3.4 Role of Public-Private Partnerships in Promoting Wildlife Tourism 9.4 Conclusions References Chapter 10: Online Training: An Adaptive Strategy to Revive Tourism in South Africa Post-COVID-19 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Literature Review 10.2.1 Staff Turnover Rates in the Tourism Industry Prior to and During COVID-19 10.2.2 Strategies to Reignite Travel and Tourism Post-COVID-19 10.2.3 Online Training and Staff Development as a Strategy to Revive Tourism Post-COVID-19 10.2.4 Adaptation-Level Theory to Staff Development as a Strategy to Revive Tourism Post-COVID-19 10.3 Methodology 10.4 Results and Discussion 10.5 Implications of the Study 10.6 Conclusion References Chapter 11: Domestic Leisure Tourism: Lessons Learnt from Township Business Operators During the COVID-19 Pandemic Era 11.1 Introduction 11.2 Literature Review 11.2.1 The South African Domestic Leisure Tourism 11.2.2 The South African Township Tourism 11.2.3 The Impact of COVID-19 on the Tourism Industry 11.2.4 Theoretical Framework 11.3 Research Design and Methodology 11.3.1 The Study Area, Sample and Data Analysis 11.4 Results and Discussion 11.4.1 Impact of the Pandemic on Township Tourism Businesses 11.4.2 Impediments to Local Participation in Domestic Leisure Tourism 11.5 Conclusion and Recommendations References Chapter 12: Redefining the Idea of Equal Distribution of the Benefits of Tourism in the Era of the COVID-19 Pandemic 12.1 Introduction 12.2 Literature Review 12.3 Theoretical Framework 12.4 Materials and Methods 12.5 Results and Discussion 12.5.1 COVID-19 as an Induced Sustainable Tourism Challenge 12.5.2 Challenges Confronting Equal Tourism Distribution and Social and Economic Development 12.5.3 Equal Sharing of Tourism’s Benefits Versus Broader Engagement for Inclusive Growth 12.5.4 Alternative Tourism Business in the Era of the Pandemic 12.5.5 Prevailing Opportunities Towards Achieving Inclusive Growth Through Sustainable Tourism in the Era of COVID-19 12.6 Conclusion 12.7 Recommendations References Part IV: Tourism Recovery and Resilience in Zimbabwe and South Africa Chapter 13: Examining COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience of Cape Town as a Tourist Destination 13.1 Background and Introduction 13.2 Literature Review 13.3 Study Area 13.4 Methodology 13.5 Results and Discussion 13.5.1 Nature-Based Tourism Recovery and Resilience 13.5.2 Sports Tourism Recovery in Cape Town 13.6 COVID-19 Recovery of Tourism at Key Selected Attractions in Cape Town 13.7 Discussion 13.8 Conclusion and Recommendations References Chapter 14: Inclusive, Participatory Approaches to Tourism Rebuilding and Recovery of Coastal Tourism Destinations from the Impacts of COVID-19: The Case of iSimangaliso Wetland Park 14.1 Introduction 14.2 Literature Review 14.2.1 Adaptive Capacity of Tourism Destinations to React to Exogenous Shocks 14.2.2 Tourism Rebuilding and Recovery from the Impacts of COVID-19 14.2.3 Inclusive Participatory Approaches to Tourism Rebuilding and Recovery 14.3 Overview of the Study Area 14.4 Research Methods 14.5 Discussion of Findings 14.5.1 Adaptive Capacity of IWP to Exogenous Shocks 14.5.2 Participation in the Development of the Tourism Recovery Plan 14.5.3 The Role of the Government in Minimising the Impacts of COVID-19 14.6 Conclusion References Chapter 15: Incentive Travel Recovery: A Systematic Literature Review 15.1 Introduction and Background 15.2 Research Design 15.3 Presentation and Discussion of Findings 15.4 Conclusion References Chapter 16: Exploring COVID-19 Recovery Mechanisms of the Accommodation Sector in South Africa 16.1 Introduction 16.2 Literature Review 16.2.1 Effect of COVID-19 on Tourism 16.2.2 Mitigation and Recovery Strategies Used in Tourism 16.2.3 Mitigation and Recovery Strategies Used in the Accommodation Sector 16.3 Materials and Methods 16.4 Results and Discussions 16.4.1 Lockdown Levels and Mitigatory Recovery Measures 16.4.2 Occupancy and Revenue Generation Analysis 16.4.3 Recovery Strategies Employed by Hotel Groups in South Africa 16.5 Conclusions, Recommendations, and Implications of the Study References Chapter 17: A Resilient Tourism Future for Developing Countries: Conclusions and Recommendations 17.1 COVID-19 Occurrence, Context and Impact on Zimbabwe and South Africa 17.2 COVID-19 Troubled Recovery for Zimbabwe and South Africa Critical Issues 17.3 Tourism and Resilience Post-COVID-19 17.4 Tourism Resilience and Recovery Strategies in Zimbabwe’s Tourism Sector 17.5 Tourism Recovery Plans for the South African Tourism Sector 17.6 Policy Recommendations for Tourism Resilience in the SADC 17.7 Conclusion References Index