Assessment of the potential for sustainable community tourism development: A study at the Nandoni Dam in Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

The Nandoni Dam was constructed amidst much fanfare regarding the social and economic benefits that would accrue to the local communities. Although not specifically stated, tourism was implied, which could lead to employment and the general upliftment of these communities. The potential for tourism enterprises, such as camping, picnics, sport, water recreation, and environmental conservation, were envisaged by persons living in the vicinity of the Dam. However, very little has materialized, not even the provision of roads, electricity and water infrastructure. To verify the impressions of local communities regarding the economic-tourism potential of the Dam, 100 households were visited in the study area. Simple convenience sampling was adopted, and a self-administered questionnaire was used to gather relevant data. Due to a suspected high level of illiteracy field workers translated questionnaires where necessary, and personally collected completed forms. Data were analysed by the Mathematics Department at the University of Venda, using the SPSS version 18 software. The study confirmed, generally, the impressions of the authors regarding the attitudes of communities living around the Dam towards economic-tourism development in the area.