Assessment of selected supply and demand components of the tourism industry in the George/Wilderness Area

In this research paper a database of accommodation establishments was compiled, and certain supply and demand aspects of the tourism industry in the George / Wilderness area were measured with a view to determine whether planning by the private sector and local authorities could benefit therefrom. Attention was given to the peculiar nature of tourism demand and tourism supply and how selected components thereof could be measured. The research methodology followed included: · a literature survey to facilitate an understanding of the nature of tourism supply and tourism demand; · the construction of a database of accommodation establishments in order to identify all participants in the George / Wilderness tourism industry; · a telephone survey to determine the supply of bed nights in the area; and · a questionnaire survey to determine the demand by tourists for bed nights in the area. The following recommendations and conclusions were made: · The database compiled during this study should be kept up to date and be expanded to include visitor profiles such as country of origin, length of stay, and primary reason for travel in order that private and public sector concerns may draw statistics / data to be used in the planning and / or marketing of the tourism industry to tourists. · Greater co-operation and co-ordination between private and public sectors of the tourism industry are needed to obtain data concerning the tourism market required for planning purposes as well as a concerted marketing effort. Failing this, legislation should be introduced, compelling accommodation establishments to make available supply and demand data to the regional services council for statistical purposes. · The study should be extended to cover the entire Southern Cape region in order to obtain statistics applicable to the region as a whole. This will then facilitate both local and regional planning as well as a coordinated marketing effort