Open AccessNICHE TOURISM IN SOUTH AFRICA: A RENEWED POLICY FOCUS IN THE COVID-19 ENVIRONMENT
Author(s) -
Christian M. Rogerson,
AUTHOR_ID,
Jayne M. Rogerson,
AUTHOR_ID
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
geo journal of tourism and geosites
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2065-1198
pISSN - 2065-0817
DOI - 10.30892/gtg.394spl08-781
Subject(s) - tourism , niche , covid-19 , tourism geography , scholarship , pandemic , economic geography , niche market , political science , geography , regional science , economic growth , business , economics , ecology , marketing , biology , medicine , disease , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , law
The COVID-19 pandemic is a catalyst for new patterns of demand and supply for the tourism sector. One consequence is a renewed policy interest in the importance of niche tourism products for destination development. This paper investigates the importance of niche tourism and its (re-) emergence on the policy agenda of tourism stakeholders in South Africa. It is argued that with a resurgence of niche tourism as policy focus there is a need for an extended research agenda on niche tourism in South Africa. The analysis represents a contribution to the changing agendas of tourism scholarship in the global South which have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.