ABSTRACT
Tourism may be defined as ‘the relationships and phenomenon arising out of the journeys and temporary stays of people travelling primarily for leisure or recreational purposes.’ 1 Its essential characteristic is the movement of people away from their place of permanent residence to a holiday destination or destinations. However, no standard definition exists of a ‘tourist’ nor any consensus as to the maximum duration of a ‘tourist’ visit – for statistical purposes, a four night minimum stay is generally accepted for domestic tourists and twenty-four hours for an international tourist. 2 Here, the standard World Tourism Organization definition is adopted. The focus of this chapter is the development of international tourism, domestic tourism being excluded since it does not concern itself with the main subject of regional co-operation in the Indian Ocean Rim (IOR). It is argued here that there is scope for IOR co-operation in economic, social and cultural aspects as manifested in tourism. Although the IOR regional share of tourist arrivals and receipts is still small, it has been growing at an impressive rate since the demise of apartheid in South Africa. Secondly, intra-regional tourism in southern Africa is quite high, and of particular importance to the South African economy. Indeed, if managed competitively and efficiently, tourism could be an engine of economic growth for the southern African-western Indian Ocean region (comprising South Africa, Malawi, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Mauritius and Madagascar) which offers a unique product that complements rather than competes with other tourism products in the wider IOR region.
