South Africa: Millennials Enjoy Creative Tourism – New Research Uncovers a Business Opportunity for South Africans

Creative tourism is a growing form of travel where visitors learn by taking part in hands-on, culturally rooted activities. These can include classes in local cooking, craft workshops or music sessions. Tourism researchers Anneli Douglas, Gijsbert Hoogendoorn and Greg Richards investigated what kinds of tourism in this niche appeal to South African millennials (defined as those born between 1981 and 1996). Here they share some ideas about expanding creative tourism so that it can help create jobs and opportunities in low-income and rural communities.

Why are South African millennials so interested in creative tourism?

Millennials who have a good income that enables them to travel value a work/life balance. They are highly mobile and hyper connected to visual and creative social media platforms like Instagram. They enjoy travelling and are inclined towards creative experiences. This form of tourism connects them to the places and people they encounter.

Tourists are increasingly taking part in creative skill building experiences that are immersive and usually co-created. For example, tourists could participate in cooking classes in traditional African cuisine in townships like Soweto and Langa. Or they could attend painting workshops in small towns like Villiersdorp in the Western Cape.

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In South Africa, millennials are a unique group. They did not grow up entirely under apartheid, a system of racial discrimination and exclusion set in place by a white minority government between 1948 and 1994. So they have much higher levels of mobility compared to previous generations of young Black people who were restricted in their movement by the apartheid government.

We surveyed 1,530 people whose average age was 29 years old. Most of the respondents were Black Africans (66.5%), and almost an equal number of males (48.8%) and females (51.2%).

Our research found that the millennials were more keen on domestic creative tourism than international creative tourism. They were motivated by the possibility of authentic and creative experiences that build skills.

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We also found that women were generally more interested than men in creative activities linked to culture and heritage. Domestic travel was more closely tied to learning. International trips were driven by the desire to escape everyday life. This suggests that domestic tourism is especially well suited to creative tourism.

How can creative tourism in South Africa become more culturally relevant?

South Africa is one of the world’s most culturally diverse countries. Thus, there are opportunities to learn about cultures through, for example, indigenous arts and crafts. This might include taking traditional beer brewing and literary courses. Aspiring writers can take part in African writing courses. They could learn about culture and history in a relaxing atmosphere, while developing their own writing skills.

Cooking classes can teach tourists about the history of cuisines of different regions of Africa. Taking part in African jazz improvisation or African drumming workshops can be an immersive experience that is intellectually stimulating, culturally relevant and relaxing.

How can creative tourism create jobs in low income or remote communities?

Remote and rural areas are rich in cultural heritage, but have low incomes and ageing populations. There is a great deal of outmigration as people leave for towns and cities. Developing creative tourism could slow this by creating economic opportunties. At the same time, it would boost a sense of social cohesion, where groups in a society feel connected and share a sense of solidarity and belonging.

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Creative tourism also enables local communities to value and use their own cultural and creative resources. It would be enhanced by the emotional connection that a host has with their home, neighbourhood, or a natural area.

Basic forms of information and communication technologies are now widely available. Tourism entrepreneurs who previously struggled to advertise on online tourist platforms can now market themselves directly.

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Globally, peer-to-peer tourism platforms that connect travellers to local service providers via the internet have been set up in countries like the United States. Some examples are Tours by Locals and People First Tourism, which have created affordable (or in some cases free) market places for tourism entrepreneurs.

Creative tourism entrepreneurs can also develop their own social media pages to connect directly with tourists.

What needs to happen next?

On the one hand, both domestic and international tourists in South Africa enjoy traditional forms of tourism like sight-seeing, viewing wild animals and relaxing on the beach. On the other hand, our investigation has demonstrated that creative tourists value self-development, skill acquisition and learning through accessible and appealing experiences, even when on holiday.

While there is a demand for creative tourism experiences, there also needs to be adequate supply. This requires different organisations and tiers of government to work together to develop the creative tourism experience. This will need support and policies that promote greater collaboration between all organisations and government departments involved in tourism.