Overcoming COVID-19 Risk in South African Nature-based Tourism through the use of disruptive technologies

Abstract: Resilience is a concept that defines peoples’ and governments’ ability to withstand shocks and stresses. Resilience should be embedded into systems to allow them to adapt to manage change in order to flourish. Measuring resilience entails a comprehensive analysis of the risk landscape. The tourism industry has been brought to a halt due to a systemic risk, a novel corona virus, COVID-19. This article analyses the current risk landscape of nature-based tourism (NBT) in South Africa, focusing on creating resilience and longevity for the country’s nine World Heritage Sites. The paper undertakes a theoretical exploration of the usefulness of disruptive technologies and their potential to redevelop nature-based tourism post pandemic. The study is descriptive, conceptual and theoretical in nature. COVID-19 has created a number of ‘wicked problems’, including socioeconomic problems resulting from chronic stress on the tourism physical footfall, which affect communities reliant on tourism. This paper identifies solutions to solve physical tourism challenges. Solutions should be fit for purpose and not generic one-size-fits-all, as South Africa has a unique developmental context regarding the value of its heritage sites and their natural, cultural and historical value. The article concludes that new, innovative disruptive technologies from the creative arts such as film and virtual augmented reality are useful in some manner to overcome current challenges