Elmarie Slabbert

Towards an instrument measuring community perceptions of the impacts of festivals

Abstract The sustainability of an event depends on the support of the local community. Currently, community instruments do not measure perceptions of the impacts of events in an integrated manner. This paper is the first step in developing such an instrument for events in South Africa. Seventy-five community impact items were identified through a literature study and were reduced to 44 items by using the Delphi technique. The results (44 items) were included in a questionnaire distributed at two festivals in South Africa, the Klein Karoo (N=330) and Grahamstown National Arts Festivals (N=401). A principal components factor analysis was performed, descriptive factors were identified and Cronbach Alfa coefficients calculated. Nine factors were identified of which two were found to be not reliable in this case. This instrument is unique because it is a first step in developing an integrated community perception measuring instrument for events in South Africa.

Expenditure-based segmentation of visitors to Aardklop National Arts Festival

Competition in the festival market has important implications for South African arts/cultural festivals. To assist a festival to remain sustainable, market segmentation is an effective tool to divide existing and potential markets into homogenous groups based on meaningful characteristics. The aim of this article is to segment visitors (by using visitor expenditure as segmentation method) to one of South Africas largest arts festivals, namely the Aardklop National Arts Festival held annually in Potchefstroom in the North West province. A questionnaire survey (N=1 671) was conducted annually at the festival and data from 2005 to 2008 were analysed. In the results four expenditure segments were identified and the analysis confirmed significant differences in socio-demographic and behavioural variables/characteristics between these different expenditure groups. Managerial and marketing implications are consequently proposed for the festival organisers.

The relevance of the tangible and intangible social impacts of tourism on selected South African communities

Most tourism social impact studies emphasise tangible social impacts such as economic improvement. In developing countries such as South Africa, a small percentage of tangible benefits filter down to community level. This creates a problem as various studies revealed the importance of community support for the sustainability of the tourism industry. Therefore it was important to explore the role of both the tangible and the intangible social impacts of tourism. Communities with established tourism industries (Clarens, Soweto and Jeffreys Bay) formed part of the quantitative research. Through exploratory factor analyses, 31 social impact statements could be categorised into four tangible and two intangible impacts. The tangible factor Economic improvement obtained a low rating, meaning that it was not directly experienced by residents, while the intangible factor Community pride and upliftment obtained the highest rating among all factors. This, together with the fact that community members continue their support for the tourism industry, is a novel find, indicating the significant role of intangible social impacts in fostering community support. This finding shows the importance of incorporating intangible social impacts into tourism planning in developing countries. Contributions are made towards social impact research methodology and literature.

The influence of length of residency on the social impacts of selected national arts festivals in South Africa

Abstract Festivals in South Africa contribute greatly to the economic and social well-being of communities and offer various benefits. The host community is considered to be one of the key role players in tourism and therefore relations between the festivals and the host communities play an important role in understanding the social impact of an event. The aim of this research is to determine the influence of length of residency on the social impacts of arts festivals. To achieve this aim, a quantitative study was conducted in the communities of Oudtshoorn and Potchefstroom. Results indicated that residents who had been living in these communities for longer, had stronger opinions about certain negative impacts resulting from the festivals than those residents who had been living in these towns for a shorter period of time. It is thus evident that length of residency influences the social impacts of arts festivals and may influence the sustainability of these festivals as well.

Understanding accommodation preferences of visitors to the Kruger National Park

Accommodation plays such an important role in the tourist’s experience that one would imagine that many studies concerning this topic have been conducted. However, surprisingly, very few studies have focused on this subject despite the growth in both demand and supply. This gap or lack of research led to the present exploratory study that addressed the question: ‘What are visitors’ accommodation preferences when they select accommodation in the Kruger National Park?’ Based on a visitor survey in the Northern region of the Park during December 2015 where 294 fully completed questionnaires were administered, respondents were segmented based on their accommodation preferences (self-service, serviced and safari). Three distinct segments were identified, Self-service seekers, Servicescape seekers and Self-safari seekers. These segments differ regarding their socio-demographic characteristics and especially regarding the factors they regard as important when selecting accommodation and campsites. This was the first time that the accommodation preferences of visitors to the flagship national park in South Africa have been analysed. The results demonstrated that while visitors to the Kruger National Park appear homogeneous regarding their demographic profile, they differ significantly when it comes to accommodation needs and preferences. The findings from the research are valuable to park management, especially when developing and expanding accommodation options in the park as it shows the preferences of each distinct market. This research furthermore contributes to the current literature regarding ecotourism and ecotourists’ accommodation preferences.

The Perceived Value of a Scuba Diving Experience

ABSTRACT Schoeman, K.; Van der Merwe, P., and Slabbert, E., 2016. The perceived value of a scuba diving experience. Tourists today are more value conscious, which creates challenges for tourism products to keep up with what tourists want and how they perceive certain experiences. Perceived tourism value can be seen as the value that tourists experience and can be defined from separate perspectives, such as money, quality, benefits, and social aspects. The purpose of this study is to determine the perceived value of a scuba diving experience. A survey was conducted at Sodwana Bay, where 402 divers participated by means of stratified sampling. The factor analysis revealed five values, namely perceived emotional value, perceived risk value, perceived functional value, perceived social value, and perceived epistemic value. This insight can assist role players in the marine environment to adapt their scuba diving product where needed and can also assist in the improvement of diver satisfaction, the diving experience, and marketing initiatives.

Expenditure-based segmentation of visitors to Aardklop National Arts Festival : research article

Competition in the festival market has important implications for South African arts/cultural festivals. To assist a festival to remain sustainable, market segmentation is an effective tool to divide existing and potential markets into homogenous groups based on meaningful characteristics. The aim of this article is to segment visitors (by using visitor expenditure as segmentation method) to one of South Africas largest arts festivals, namely the Aardklop National Arts Festival held annually in Potchefstroom in the North West province. A questionnaire survey (N=1 671) was conducted annually at the festival and data from 2005 to 2008 were analysed. In the results four expenditure segments were identified and the analysis confirmed significant differences in socio-demographic and behavioural variables/characteristics between these different expenditure groups. Managerial and marketing implications are consequently proposed for the festival organisers.