The social and economic impact of eco-tourism : reviewing of tourism policy in Zwelisha in Drakensberg and Khula Village in St. Lucia KZN.

Abstract

The study scientifically and empirically evaluates the social and economic impact of ecotourism, as well as its relationship with the tourism policy. The primary focus is on the displacement of communities, the effect it brought to cultural needs of the communities as well as an escalating poverty rate. The South African tourism policy is the primary document underlying the development and promotion of tourism in the country for sustainable economic development. Supporting this is the South African constitution where it promotes the protection of the environment for the benefit of present and future generations through reasonable legislative and other measures that: prevent pollution and ecological degradation; promote conservation; and secure ecologically sustainable development and use of natural resources while promoting justifiable economic and social development. The research then looks at how the lives of the affected communities are incorporated into these objectives without affecting social and cultural lives of the people.