Accommodation services for competitive tourism in Sub-Saharan Africa: Historical evidence from Malawi

Alice Magombo, Christian M. Rogerson, Jayne M. Rogerson

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/bog-2017-0035

Abstract


The accommodation services sector is a vital underpinning of the competitiveness of destinations in especially emerging tourism regions of the global economy. Within the environment of Africa building the competitiveness of countries as tourism destinations is inseparable from the challenge of establishing a network of different forms of accommodation at competitive prices and internationally acceptable quality standards. This paper uses a longitudinal approach to analyse the development of the accommodation services sector in one African country Malawi which is scaling up its tourism industry. Using historical evidence the objective is to examine the unfolding evolution of accommodation services as a factor in enhancing tourism destination competitiveness. The chequered pathway followed in Malawi to building the countrys network of hotels and small-scale accommodation establishments is traced from the colonial period to post-independence developments. It is argued that in understanding the historical evolution of accommodation services policy re-orientations have been significant drivers of change. 

Full Text:

PDF

References


Abreu-Novais, M., Ruhanen, L. and Arcodia, C., 2016: Destination Competitiveness: What We Know, What We Know But Shouldn’t and What We Don’t Know But Should. In: Current Issues in Tourism, Vol. 19(6), pp. 492-512.

African Development Bank Group, 2012: Malawi Country Strategy Paper 2013-2017. Tunis: African Development Bank.

Akama, J.S., 1999: The Evolution of Tourism in Kenya. In: Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Vol. 7(1), pp. 6-25.

Ashley, C. and Roe, D., 2002: Making Tourism Work for the Poor: Strategies and Challenges in Southern Africa. In: Development Southern Africa, Vol. 19, pp. 61–82.

Bakker, M. and Messerli, H., 2016: Inclusive Growth Versus Pro-poor Growth: Implications for Tourism Development. In: Tourism and Hospitality Research. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1467358416638919

Bello, F., 2015: Local Communities and Tourism Development in Protected Areas in Malawi: Investigating Community Involvement. PhD Thesis, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.

Bello, F., Lovelock, B. and Carr, N., 2016: Enhancing Community Participation in Tourism Planning Associated With Protected Areas in Developing Countries: Lessons from Malawi. In: Tourism and Hospitality Research. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1467358416647763

Blanke, J., Browne, C., Garcia, A.F. and Messerli, H.R., 2011: Assessing Africa’s Travel and Tourism Competitiveness in the Wake of the Global Economic Crisis. In: World Economic Forum, The World Bank and the African Development Bank, The Africa Competitiveness Report 2011, Geneva: World Economic Forum, pp. 89-111.

Braggs, P. and Barnett, M., 1996: Malawi: The Bradt Travel Guide. London: Bradt.

Butler, G. and Rogerson, C.M., 2016: Inclusive Local Tourism Development in South Africa: Evidence from Dullstroom. In: Local Economy, Vol. 31 (1-2), pp. 264-281.

Chilembwe, J.M. and Gondwe, F.W., 2015: Tourism Entrepreneurial Development and Flight Frequency at a Destination: Case Study of Malawi. In: International Journal of Tourism & Hospitality Reviews, Vol. 2(1), pp. 61-67.

Chilembwe, J.M. and Mweiwa, V., 2014: Tour Guides: Are They Tourism Promoters and Developers?: A Case Study of Malawi. In: International Journal of Research in Business Management, Vol. 2(9), pp. 29-46.

Chilowa, W., 1991: Structural Adjustment and Poverty: The Case of Malawi. Bergen: Chr. Michelsen Institute DERAP Working Paper D 1991: 3.

Christie, I., Fernandes, E., Messerli, H. and Twining-Ward, L., 2013. Tourism in Africa: Harnessing Tourism for Growth and Improved Livelihoods. Washington DC: The World Bank.

Cohen, E. and Cohen, S.A., 2015: A Mobilities Approach to Tourism From Emerging World Regions. In: Current Issues in Tourism, Vol.18(1), pp. 11-43.

Colby, G., 1988: ‘Solent’ Flying Boat Service to Nyasaland, 1949-1950. In: The Journal of Modern African Studies, Vol. 26, pp. 165-170

de Boer, D. and van Dijk, M.P., 2016: Can Sustainable Tourism Achieve Conservation and Local Economic Development? The Experience with Nine Business-Community Wildlife-Tourism Agreements in Northern Tanzania. In: African Journal of Hospitality Tourism and Leisure, Vol. 5(4), pp. 1-19.

Dwyer, L. and Kim, C. 2003: Destination Competitiveness: Determinants and Indicators. In: Current Issues in Tourism, Vol. 6(5), pp. 369-414.

Enright, M.J. and Newton, J., 2004: Tourism Destination Competitiveness: A Quantitative Approach. In: Tourism Management, Vol. 25(6), pp. 777-788.

Ernst & Young, 2011: Sub-Saharan Africa Hospitality Sector Overview. Report prepared for The World Bank Group, Washington DC.

Euromonitor International, 2013: Travel and Tourism in Central African Republic. London: Euromonitor International.

Euromonitor International, 2014: Travel and Tourism in South Sudan. London: Euromonitor International.

Freidus, A.L., 2016: Unanticipated Outcomes of Voluntourism Among Malawi’s Orphans. In: Journal of Sustainable Tourism. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2016.1263308

Garland, V., 1996: Ryalls: A Woman and Her Hotel. In: The Society of Malawi Journal, Vol. 49(2), p. 50

Gartner, C. and Cukier, J., 2012: Is Tourism Employment A Sufficient Mechanism for Poverty Reduction?: A Case Study from Nkhata Bay, Malawi. In: Current Issues in Tourism, Vol. 15(6), pp. 545-562.

Gilman, L., 2015: Demonic or Cultural Treasure?: Local Perspectives on Vimbuza Tangible Cultural Heritage, and UNESCO in Malawi. In: Journal of Folklore Research, Vol. 52(2-3), pp. 199-216.

Greenberg, D. and Rogerson, J.M., 2015: The Serviced Apartment Industry of South Africa: A New Phenomenon in Urban Tourism. In: Urban Forum, Vol. 26(4), pp. 467-482.

Harrison, D., 1995: Development of Tourism in Swaziland. In: Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 22(1), pp. 135-156.

Hoogendoorn, G., Grant, B. and Fitchett, J., 2015: Towards Green Guest Houses in South Africa: The Case of Gauteng and Kwazulu-Natal. In: South African Geographical Journal, Vol. 97(2), pp. 133-138.

Hyma, B., Ojo, A. and Wall, G., 1980: Tourism in Tropical Africa: A Review of Literature in English and Research Agenda. In: Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 7(4), pp. 525-553.

Ismail, S. and Rogerson, J.M. 2016: Retrofitting Hotels: Evidence from the Protea Hospitality Group of Hotels within Gauteng, South Africa. In: African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, Vol. 5(1), pp. 1-14.

Komppula, R., 2014: The Role of Individual Entrepreneurs in the Development of Competitiveness For a Rural Tourism Destination – A Case Study. In: Tourism Management, Vol. 40(2), pp. 361-371.

Krishnan, A.M., 2016: Entrepreneurship and The Discovery and Exploitation of Business Opportunities: Empirical Evidence from The Malawian Tourism Sector. In: International Journal of Social, Behavioral, Educational, Economic, Business and Industrial Engineering, Vol. 10(5), pp. 1373-1384.

Magombo, A. and Rogerson, C.M., 2012: The Evolution of the Tourism Sector in Malawi. In: Africa Insight, Vol. 42(2), pp. 46-65.

Malawi Government, 1965: Tourism Development Plan. Malawi Government Archive Files, Zomba.

Malawi Government, 1966: Economic Report. Zomba: Ministry of Development and Planning.

Malawi Government, 1968: Tourism Development Plan. Malawi Government Archive Files, Zomba.

Malawi Government, 1969a: Tourism Development Plan. Malawi Government Archive Files, Zomba.

Malawi Government, 1969b: Economic Report. Zomba: Ministry of Development and Planning.

Malawi Government, 1970: Economic Report. Zomba: Ministry of Economic Planning and Development.

Malawi Government, 1972: Economic Report. Zomba: Ministry of Economic Planning and Development.

Malawi Government, 1975: Economic Report. Zomba: Ministry of Economic Planning and Development.

Malawi Government, 1983: Economic Report. Zomba: Ministry of Economic Planning and Development.

Malawi Government, 1986: Statement of Development Policy, 1987-1996. Lilongwe: Ministry of Economic Development and Planning.

Malawi Government, 1988: Malawi Tourism: Policies and Strategies. In: Southern Africa Tourism Review Vol. 2(1), pp. 6-8.

Malawi Government, 2008: Revised Tourism Strategic Plan (Marketing Plan) 2008. Lilongwe: Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Culture.

Manwa, H., 2011: Competitiveness of Southern African Development Community as a Tourist Destination. In: Tourism Analysis, Vol. 16, pp. 77-86.

Manwa, H., Moswete, N. and Saarinen, J. editors, 2016: Cultural Tourism in Southern Africa. Bristol: Channel View.

Mayaka, M.A. and Prasad, H., 2012: Tourism in Kenya: An Analysis of Strategic Issues and Challenges. In: Tourism Management Perspectives, Vol. 1(January), pp. 48-56.

Mensah, I. and Mensah, R.D., 2013: Management of Tourism and Hospitality Services. Bloomington, Indiana: Xlibris, 2nd Edition.

Mihalic, T, Kester, J. and Dwyer, L., 2013: Impacts of the Global Financial Crisis on African Tourism: A Tourism Confidence Index Analysis. In: Visser, G. and Ferreira, S., editors, Tourism and Crisis, Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 94-112.

Mitchell, J. and Ashley, C., 2006: Can Tourism Help Reduce Poverty in Africa? London: Overseas Development Institute.

Mwanakatawe, P. and Kebedew, G.A., 2015: Malawi 2015. Tunis: African Development Bank.

Ng’ong’ola, D.H., 1996: Analysis of Policy Reform and Structural Adjustment Programs in Malawi: With Emphasis on Agriculture and Trade. Washington DC: Report for USAID Project Number 698-0478.

Novelli, M., 2015: Tourism and Development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Abingdon: Routledge.

Novelli, M. and Scarth, A., 2007: Tourism in Protected Areas: Integrating Conservation and Community Development in Liwonde National Park (Malawi). In: Tourism and Hospitality Planning & Development 4(1), pp. 47-73.

Nwosu, B., 2016: A Review of the Hotel Industry in Nigeria: Size, Structure and Issues. In: Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, Vol. 8(2), pp. 117-133.

Pandy, W. and Rogerson, C.M., 2013: The Timeshare Industry of Africa: A Study in Tourism Geography. In: Bulletin of Geography: Socio-Economic Series, Vol. 21, pp. 97-109.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/bog-2013-0024

Pandy, W. and Rogerson, C.M., 2014a: The Evolution and Consolidation of the Timeshare Industry in a Developing Economy: The South African Experience. In: Urbani izziv, Vol. 25 (Supplement), pp. S162-S175.

Pandy, W. and Rogerson, C.M., 2014b: The Making of the South African Timeshare Industry: Spatial Structure and Development Challenges. In: Bulletin of Geography: Socio-Economic Series, Vol. 26, pp. 183-201. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/bog-2014-0053

Ritchie, J.R.B. and Crouch, G.I., 2003: The Competitive Destination: A Sustainable Tourism Perspective. Wallingford: CABI.

Rogerson, C.M., 2007: Reviewing Africa in the Global Tourism Economy. In: Development Southern Africa, Vol. 24, pp. 361-379.

Rogerson, C.M., 2011: From Liquor to Leisure: The Changing South African Hotel Industry 1928-1968. In: Urban Forum, Vol. 22, pp. 379-394.

Rogerson, C.M. and Rogerson, J.M., 2010: Local Economic Development in Africa: Global Context and Research Directions. In: Development Southern Africa, Vol. 27, pp. 465-480.

Rogerson, C.M. and Rogerson, J.M., 2011: Tourism Research Within the Southern African Development Community: Production and Consumption in Academic Journals, 2000-2010. In: Tourism Review International, Vol. 15(1-2), pp. 213-222.

Rogerson, J.M., 2010: The Boutique Hotel Industry in South Africa: Definition, Scope and Organization. In: Urban Forum, Vol. 21, pp. 425-439.

Rogerson, J.M., 2011a: The Limited Services Hotel in South Africa: The Growth of City Lodge. In: Urban Forum, Vol. 22, pp. 343-361.

Rogerson, J.M., 2011b: The Changing All-Suite Hotel in South Africa: From ‘Extended Stay’ to African Condo Hotel. In: Tourism Review International, Vol. 15(1/2), pp. 107-121.

Rogerson, J.M., 2012: The Changing Location of Hotels in South Africa’s Coastal Cities. In: Urban Forum, Vol. 23, pp. 73-91.

Rogerson, J.M., 2013a: Market Segmentation and the Changing Budget Hotel Industry of Urban South Africa. In: Urbani izziv, Vol. 24(2), pp. 112-123.

Rogerson, J.M., 2013b: Reconfiguring South Africa’s Hotel Industry 1990-2010: Structure, Segmentation, and Spatial Transformation. In: Applied Geography, Vol. 36, pp. 59-68.

Rogerson, J.M., 2013c: The Economic Geography of South Africa’s Hotel Industry 1990 to 2010. In: Urban Forum, Vol. 24(3), pp. 425-446.

Rogerson, J.M., 2013d: The Changing Accommodation Landscape of Free State, 1936-2010: A Case of Tourism Geography. In: African Journal of Physical Health Education, Recreation and Dance, Vol. 19 (Supplement 2), pp. 86-104.

Rogerson, J.M., 2014a: Hotel Location in Africa’s World Class City: The Case of Johannesburg, South Africa. In: Bulletin of Geography: Socio-Economic Series, Vol. 25, pp. 181-196. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/bog-2014-0038

Rogerson, J.M., 2014b: Changing Hotel Location Patterns in Ekurhuleni, South Africa’s Industrial Workshop. In: Urbani izziv, Vol. 25 (Supplement), pp. S81-S95.

Rogerson, J.M., 2016a: Hotel Chains of the Global South: The Internationalization of South African Hotel Brands. In: Tourism – An International Interdisciplinary Journal, Vol. 64(4), pp. 445-450.

Rogerson, J.M., 2016b: Tourism Geographies of the Past: The Uneven Rise and Fall of Beach Apartheid in South Africa. In: Donaldson, R., Visser, G., Kemp, J. and de Waal, J., editors, #Celebrateacenturyofgeography: Proceedings of the Centenary Conference of the Society of South African Geographers, Stellenbosch: Society of South African Geographers, pp. 212-218.

Rogerson, J.M., 2017: ‘Kicking Sand in the Face of Apartheid’: Segregated Beaches in South Africa. In: Bulletin of Geography: Socio-Economic Series, Vol. 35, 93-109. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/bog-2017-0007

Rogerson, J.M. and Sims, S.R., 2012: The Greening of Urban Hotels in South Africa: Evidence from Gauteng. In: Urban Forum, Vol. 23, pp. 391-407.

Saarinen, J. and Rogerson, C.M., 2014: Tourism and the Millennium Development Goals: Perspectives Beyond 2015. In: Tourism Geographies, Vol. 16(1), pp. 23–30.

Saarinen, J. and Rogerson, C.M., 2015: Setting Cultural Tourism in Southern Africa. In: Nordic Journal of African Studies, Vol. 24(3&4), pp. 207-220.

Salazar, N., 2008: A Troubled Past, A Challenging Present and A Promising Future: Tanzania’s Tourism Development in Perspective. In: Tourism Review International, Vol. 12(3-4), pp. 259-273.

Snyman, S., 2013: Household Spending Patterns and Flow of Ecotourism Income into Communities around Liwonde National Park, Malawi. In: Development Southern Africa, Vol. 30(4-5), pp. 640-658.

Spenceley, A. and Meyer, D., 2012: Tourism and Poverty Reduction: Theory and Practice in Less Economically Developed Countries. In: Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Vol. 20(3), pp. 297-317.

UNWTO, 2015a: Affiliate Members Regional Reports, Volume Four – Tourism in Africa: A Tool for Development. Madrid: UNWTO.

UNWTO, 2015b: Towards Measuring The Economic Value of Wildlife Watching Tourism in Africa. Madrid: UNWTO.

World Bank, 2011: Africa Region Tourism Strategy: Transformation Through Tourism. Version 3.0. Washington DC: World Bank.

World Bank, 2014: Tourism in Africa: Harnessing Tourism for Growth and Improved Livelihoods. Washington DC: World Bank.

World Bank, 2016: Malawi Urbanization Review: Leveraging Urbanisation for National Growth and Development. Washington DC: World Bank.

World Travel & Tourism Council, 2015: Travel & Tourism: Economic Impact 2015 Africa. London: World Travel & Tourism Council.




Bookmark and Share




Print ISSN: 1732-4254
Online ISSN: 2083-8298

Partnerzy platformy czasopism