ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the development of gay male tourism in South Africa. It demonstrates how sexuality—one of our key human-status characteristics—impacts on the urban tourism system of Cape Town. The chapter shows that impact of sexual identity in the (re)shaping of the urban form, and identifies the challenges that such redevelopment holds for both the local gay host community and the city at large. It also demonstrates the impact that the process has had on the De Waterkant district of Cape Town's Central Business District periphery. An analysis of tour operators' tour itineraries demonstrates the degree of tourist motivation that is generally pitched at a number of different holiday experiences. The chapter focuses on gay tourism, it needs to be borne in mind that the liminal spaces of gay leisure cannot be included, since tourists who seek out gay destinations are significantly influenced by the formal, visible, gay infrastructure that a country, city or town has to offer.
