Cultural Tourism in South Africa: A Case Study of the Experiences of Employees

African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure. ISSN: 2223-814X February 2023, Vol 12, 1, pp. 326-338 Cultural Tourism in South Africa: A Case Study of the Experiences of Employees Ngcebo Masilela Department of Geography, Environmental Management, and Energy Studies, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa Gijsbert Hoogendoorn Department of Geography, Environmental Management, and Energy Studies, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa Gustav Visser* Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa, Email, *Corresponding Author How to cite this article: Masilela, N., Hoogendoorn, G. & Visser, G. (2023). Cultural Tourism in South Africa: A Case Study of the Experiences of Employees. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 12(1):326338. DOI: https://doi.org/10.46222/ajhtl.19770720.370 Abstract Cultural tourism has become an important research topic. In particular, authenticity issues and the commodification of local cultures have seen significant research attention. Despite this type of research’s growth, many locations in the Global South require investigation. This paper attempts to address this dearth by investigating the experiences of people employed at the Matsamo Cultural Village in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa. Data was collected through a survey questionnaire and qualitative interviews. Participants were selected using purposive sampling, and collected data were analysed using content analysis. Major themes that emerged from the content analysis are the growth of tourist visitation at Matsamo Cultural Village and the motivation of employees to promote cultural tourism. While the Matsamo Cultural Village arguably authentically represents the local people and their Swati culture, it is contended that as the sector grows, employees will perceive cultural tourism as an economic means to an end rather than a cultural exposé celebrating Swati culture. These issues are untangled in the paper. Keywords: cultural tourism; authenticity; southern Africa; Swati culture Introduction Cultural tourism has become a significant focus of investigation in tourism and hospitality research over the last three-quarters of a century (Richards, 2019; Timothy, 2023). One of the most voluminous themes within cultural tourism has been the authenticity of cultural tourism experiences, which has seen widespread academic attention over the past two decades (Park et al., 2019; Ramkissoon & Uysal, 2010). For the most part, the study of authentic experiences has, by and large, been reported on from the perspective of the tourist (Tiberghien et al., 2017; Zhang et al., 2021), with the perspectives of the tour operators or the experiences of people employed in cultural tourism being significantly understudied in comparison. There are some exceptions to this lack of research, such as the work of Halewood and Hannam (2001) and Bunten (2008), which highlights the commodification of cultural tourism experiences and the consequent threat to perceived authenticity from the respective perspectives of employees. While the issue of authentic experiences of tourists has been studied extensively by Ivanovic (2008, 2014), in the South African context, the views and experiences of employees in cultural tourism experiences still need to be obtained. 326 AJHTL Open Access - Online @ www.ajhtl.com Open Rubric African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, Volume 12 (1) - (2023) ISSN: 2223-814X Copyright: © 2023 AJHTL /Author(s) | Open Access – Online @ www.ajhtl.com This paucity of understanding of employees’ views is in spite of the fact that cultural tourism in southern Africa is considered an effective development tool that creates employment opportunities in impoverished rural communities (Morais et al., 2018; Saarinen, 2007). Indeed, the recognition of cultural tourism in southern Africa as a strategic economic driver has led to increased debates about the challenges faced by the sector (Manwa et al., 2017). Cultural villages established for tourists are the attractions most frequently visited by tourists wanting to learn about indigenous communities’ arts and crafts, heritage and traditions (Moswete et al., 2009). However, cultural villages are intended to align with the local culture they represent. Yet many cultural villages in southern Africa are instead purpose-built to attract tourists and satisfy their expectations, often with little consideration for the local people whose culture is a central theme (Jansen van Veuren, 2001). Indeed, Ndlovu (2021) further added that cultural villages are reproducing stereotyped western views of indigenous people. The overall argument can be made that most of the extant literature on cultural tourism focuses on the representation and authenticity of cultural villages, with little mention of the people who work in cultural villages. Therefore, this study is tasked to investigate the employees’ cultural tourism experiences at the Matsamo Cultural Village in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa. To achieve this research aim, the following research objectives were set out: to determine employees’ perceptions of cultural tourism, and to investigate employees’ perspectives on the product’s authenticity regarding the local culture. Literature review The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) defines cultural tourism as a tourism activity in which visitors learn, discover, experience and consume cultural products at a destination (UNWTO, 2017). Indeed, cultural tourism presents the opportunity to promote tourism growth and diversify tourism economies (Christie et al., 2014). Therefore, cultural tourism is developed following the sociocultural, economic and environmental aspects and traditions of the destinations they represent (Moswete et al., 2015). To understand why people engage in cultural tourism, many scholars have highlighted the learning experiences provided at various cultural tourism destinations as critical motivators for cultural tourists (Packer & Ballantyne, 2016). Cultural representation is also a significant issue in cultural tourism destinations, especially where the representation of minority cultures is significant (Yang, 2011). Prentice (2004) argues that although reasons for visiting cultural attractions are culturally motivated, cultural tourism is a supply-driven sector. Often the authenticity of the destination determines the decision to visit cultural attractions. Throughout the literature, there is consistent evidence that the authenticity of cultural attractions plays a vital role in the growth of cultural tourism across many regions around the globe. The term authenticity in tourism is disputed and brings about numerous debates on the practical and theoretical aspects of the tourist experience (Moore et al., 2021). Authenticity is a multi-faceted concept in tourism research but is often debated in binary ter (...truncated)