scholarly journals The Enhancement of Conference Tourism activities as a means to Bolstering Business Tourism in South Africa: A Case Study of Conferences within KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 432-437
Author(s):  
Wayne B. Tifflin

Business Tourism is considered an important aspect of a Destination’s Competitiveness. However having a competitive advantage does not guarantee success (Ritchie and Crouch, 2003). Destination success requires a well formulated competitiveness strategy which is effectively implemented (Seymour, 2009:2). Business tourism and its elements (meeting, conference, and convention centres) need to be managed effectively to provide a destination with a competitive edge. Thus it is important to determine the effectiveness and suitability of conference centres and destinations from the perspective of the delegate. This paper examines the responses of delegate of 49 Conferences in relation to the facilities at the International Convention Centre in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal and the city of Durban as a conference destination. Whilst the broader concept of Business Tourism may encompass more than conferences as a business activity, this paper will show the need for “Conference Tourism” as significant component to Business Tourism. KwaZulu-Natal’s meetings and conferences are one of the most important attractions and activities of domestic and international tourists. This is clearly illustrated in the following tables:

Author(s):  
Unine Van den Berg ◽  
Jean-Pierre Labuschagne ◽  
Hugo Van den Berg

Companies in South Africa should realise the important influence of greening their suppliers and of innovation to achieve environmental goals and competitive advantages. In order to prove this, a questionnaire survey was conducted with 75 companies from 11 industries in the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality region, South Africa. A confirmatory factor analysis was done, followed by bivariate correlations to determine the strength of association between the latent constructs. Correlations between greening the supplier, innovation, environmental performance and competitive advantages were done. The research found that a green innovative process had a significant effect on environmental performance. Green managerial innovation further had a significant correlation with competitive advantage. The primary result of the study indicated that all the constructs positively related to each other, meaning that greening suppliers, by means of green innovation, leads to an enhanced environmental performance and to competitive advantages.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 319-335
Author(s):  
Joseph Kolawole Abon ◽  

Football, as the most popular sport amongst other sports, is a household name in the world and South Africa particularly. This study examines the use of marketing in improving competitive advantage among potential and professional football clubs in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Several sponsorship opportunities that could serve as an impetus to disseminate various club projects are noted to be undermined. Arguably, some of the clubs’ activities are seasonal, and the applicability of marketing by football clubs in the KZN province could not be tactically emphasized. Therefore, the amount of marketing activities in clubs’ seasonal operations is unidentified which poses a challenge in achieving club objectives. This paper argues that it is of importance for the club marketing managers to consider features of each specific season and corporate marketing activities for the development of appropriate marketing actions that could serve as competitive advantages. This study adopts a mixed-method research approach, and a convenient sampling technique with responses from 80 questionnaires were retrieved. Five (5) coaches, 5 club owners, 5 managers, 5 supporters, and 5 players from five football clubs each located in KwaZulu-Natal province were interviewed to extract their understanding of the use of marketing to gain competitive advantage. Findings from the study state that using marketing correctly could improve the chances of potential professional football clubs’ popularity and increase financial gains. Most respondents emphasized that when clubs use a proper marketing strategy with appropriate use of marketing mix, it could position the clubs in the hearts of their supporters and public.


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