From Township Tourism, Semigration, and Second-Home Tourism: A Reflection on the Migrant Labour System in South Africa

Introduction

Tourism is the world largest industry and has become big business as almost all countries jump on the tourism bandwagon. Tourism is developed due to its positive economic impacts on a destination such as labour intensive jobs, promoting small business and attracting foreign exchange. ‘’Tourism is the practice of traveling for pleasure, education or business’’ Simkova & Holzner (2014: 660). ‘’Tourists undertake travel to a destination and import their foreign exchange into the destination country, just like an exported product. Since tourism is like an exported product consumed at the destination area, it is essentially a service which in intangible and is simultaneously produced and consumed at the destination. Majority of the value adding happens at the destination area’’ Henama & Sifolo (2017:48). ‘’Travel and tourism is emerging as a leading global economic driver for the 21^st century. Internationally, tourism is the world’s biggest industry, growing at compound rates of about 4% per annum’’ Steyn & Spencer (2011: 178). ‘’Today the desire to travel and to be a tourists is practically universal, and tourists practices pervade many areas of social life. Tourism has been a central dimension of globalisation’’ Wood (2005: 1). The habit of holidays has led to an upward tragetory in the worlds population that participate in tourism consumption. According to Alsarayreh et al. (2010: 146) ‘’the desire to travel is a human need and people will keep traveling for different purposes and travel will never stop, therefore, the tourism activities will increase more and more specifically with the revolution of modern technology and transportation’’.

This has meant that there has been an institutionalisation of the habit of holidays, leading to tourism consumption acquiring a consumer culture. The institutionalisation of the vacation as a normal part of society as people move up the social strata is imperative as it has increased the number of tourists as many countries have experienced rapid economic growth, wealth and associated normal middle class consumption that includes tourism’’ Henama (2014a:2). Countries have jumped on the tourism bandwagon because of the positive environmental impacts of tourism. ‘’Tourism consumption comprises all the expenditure by the tourist paid out of his own pocket for goods and services consumed during his time of stay, as well as goods and services consumed’’ Thano & Kote (2015: 2).‘’Tourism is distinct from other sectors, in that, it is a cross-cutting sector and it involves a big diversity of services and professions, which is linked to many other economic activities and policy areas. It is made up of five different sectors; these are: accommodation, food and beverage services, recreation and entertainment, transportation and travel services’’ Akinboade & Braimoh (2010:149). According to Rusu (2011) tourism not only creates jobs in the tertiary sector, it also encourages growth in the primary and secondary sectors of industry, known as the multiplier effect which in its simplest form is how many times money spent by a tourist circulates through a country’s economy. Tourism has a direct, indirect and induced impact on the destination’s economy. If the tourism industry is planned in such a way that it is pro-poor, it will benefit industries such as agriculuture, construction and local transportation.