Strategic Management of Tourism Stakeholders : Bakgatla-ba-Kgafela , South Africa

Strategically developed tourism undoubtedly not only stimulates the economic prosperity of only regions or areas, but also adds to the prosperity of a local populace and the attractiveness of a region or area in its entirety. Sustainable tourism development, in particular in a rural region, can be a viable vehicle for regional development in a developing country as it contributes towards eliminating regional disparities, in particular between metropolitan centres and remote areas. Rural tourism forms an integral part of a range of economic activities and can be used as a linkage between economic sectors, for example agriculture and mining). Ecotourism further conserves the natural resources and culture of a rural community. Rural tourism, if thus strategically developed and managed, will make a substantial contribution towards the prosperity of rural communities. An important task management needs to deal with when formulating strategies are the demands and expectations of the varied stakeholders in terms of the anticipated outcomes of the goals decided upon. The focus of this paper is on the strategic management of tourism stakeholders in a rural setting and how it ought to be integrated into the economic, social, cultural, and local structures of a local community, that of the Bakgatla-ba-Kgafela (BBK) located in the North West province of South Africa. Sustainable tourism is a tool that can, besides stimulating the rural economy of the region, also reduce the urban-rural gap and contribute towards establishing an interconnected and prosperous community. The results obtained revealed that there is discrepancy between how tourism experts view tourism compared to how the local community regard tourism as a rural developmental aid. The Bakgatlaba-Kgafela Traditional Authority (BBKTA) is accountable for the sustainable development of tourism for the BBK rural area and all its stakeholders and should manage tourism and its stakeholders strategically.