Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Mainstreaming Guesthouses: Reflections on the Evolution of South Africa’s First Alternative Tourist Accommodation Sector

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
New Directions in South African Tourism Geographies

Part of the book series: Geographies of Tourism and Global Change ((GTGC))

Abstract

Accommodation is a critically important component of the tourist’s experience of a destination. Tourist accommodation ranges from the formal hotel to the potential informality of second homes, Airbnb and home-stay accommodation. This chapter focuses on South African guesthouses as a tourist accommodation type that made its appearance in the late 1980s as a largely unregulated alternative to hotels. In terms of South African guesthouses, the first investigations were concerned with the general geography of guesthouses, the characteristics of their facilities and services, as well as the profiles of the owner and visitor. Since then, the development of guesthouses, certainly from a spatial perspective, has slipped from the scholarly gaze. The aim of this investigation is to track the subsequent development of guesthouses, which started as an alternative tourist accommodation type in the Stellenbosch Winelands. Duplicating the aims of the earlier studies, the expanding spatial footprint of this accommodation type is of particular interest as there appears to be considerable expansion into agricultural areas and consolidation of dense guesthouse accommodation in the urban areas. Conceptually, the paper questions the utility of the ‘alternative tourist accommodation’ category. It is argued that alternative tourist accommodation is very fluid in its meaning over time and what is seen as alternative now can be mainstream later.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 99.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. 1.

    Employment dynamics were not considered in this investigation and presents a major research opportunity. On the whole, the fieldwork revealed that management of the guest house was in the hands of either the white owner or the appointed manager. Lower-level positions, such as cooking and cleaning, tended to be either black or coloured staff members.

References

  • Biddulph, R., & Scheyvens, R. (2018). Introducing inclusive tourism. Tourism Geographies, 20(4), 583–588.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bordelon, L., & Ferreira, S. (2017). Tourist photographs and destination imagery on social media: Reading the winelands through the tourist lens. Tourism Review International, 21(3), 1–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Collier, C. (1991). Principles in tourism: A New Zealand perspective. Auckland: Pitman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooper, C., Fletcher, J., Gilberg, P., & Wanhill, S. (1993). Tourism: Principles and practices. London: Pitman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Donaldson, R. (2014). The production of quartered spaces in Stellenbosch: Inaugural address. Stellenbosch: University of Stellenbosch.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferreira, S. (2017). Development of wine tourism: Destination, life cycles, wine resorts and lifestyle farming: Inaugural address. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferreira, S., & Boshoff, A. (2014). Post-2010 FIFA soccer world cup: Oversupply and location of luxury hotel rooms in Cape Town. Current Issues in Tourism, 17(2), 180–198.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferreira, S., & Hunter, C. (2017). Development of wine tourism: A geographical analysis. Tourism Geographies, 19(5), 676–698.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferreira, S., & Müller, R. (2013). Innovating the wine tourism product: Food-and-wine pairing in Stellenbosch wine routes. African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance, 19(Supplement 2), 72–85.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenberg, D. (2018). The development, geography and organization of serviced apartments in South Africa. M.Sc. Thesis, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenberg, D., & Rogerson, J. M. (2015). The serviced apartment industry of South Africa: A new phenomenon in urban tourism. Urban Forum, 26(4), 467–482.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall, C. M., & Page, S. (2006). The geography of tourism and recreation: Space, place and environment. London: Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hoogendoorn, G., Grant, B., & Fitchett, J. (2015). Towards green guest houses in South Africa: the case of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. South African Geographical Journal, 97(2), 123–138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoogendoorn, G., & Visser, G. (2015). Focusing on the “blessing”, not the “curse”, of second homes: Notes from South Africa. Area, 47(2), 179–184.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Inversini, A., & Masiero, L. (2014). Selling rooms online: The use of social media and online travel agents. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 26(2), 272–292.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jansen-Verbeke, M. (1997). Urban tourism: Managing resources and visitors. In S. Wahab & J. Pigram (Eds.), Tourism, development and growth (pp. 237–256). London and New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Middleton, V. (1988). Marketing in travel and tourism. Oxford: Heineman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pandy, W., & Rogerson, C. M. (2013a). The timeshare industry of Africa: A study in tourism geography. Bulletin of Geography: Socio-Economic Series, 21, 97–109.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pandy, W., & Rogerson, C. M. (2013b). The making of the South African timeshare industry: Spatial structure and development challenges. Bulletin of Geography: Socio-Economic Series, 26, 183–201.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pandy, W., & Rogerson, C. M. (2013c). The evolution and consolidation of the timeshare industry in a developing economy: The South African experience. Urbani izziv, 25(Supplement), S162–S175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pierret, F. (2013). About hotel classification systems. Madrid: UNWTO.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pillay, M., & Rogerson, J. M. (2013). Agricultural-tourism linkages and pro-poor impacts: The accommodation sectors of coastal KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Applied Geography, 36, 49–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, J. (2016). Thinking cities through elsewhere: Comparative tactics for a more global urban studies. Progress in Human Geography, 40(1), 3–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogerson, C. M., & Rogerson, J. M. (2018). Africa’s tourism economy: Uneven progress and challenges. In T. Binns, K. Lynch, & E. Nel (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of African development (pp. 545–560). Abingdon: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogerson, C. M., & Rogerson, J. M. (2019). Tourism and accommodation services in South Africa: A spatial perspective. In J. Knight & C. M. Rogerson (Eds.), The geography of South Africa: Contemporary changes and new directions (pp. 213–220). Cham: Springer International.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Rogerson, C. M., & Visser, G. (Eds.). (2004). Tourism and development issues in contemporary South Africa. Pretoria: Africa Institute of South Africa.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogerson, C. M., & Visser, G. (Eds.). (2007). Urban tourism in the developing world: The South African experience. New Brunswick and London: Transaction Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogerson, J. M. (2010). The boutique hotel industry in South Africa: Definition, scope and organisation. Urban Forum, 21(4), 425–439.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogerson, J. M. (2011a). The limited services hotel in South Africa: The growth of city lodge. Urban Forum, 22(4), 343–361.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogerson, J. M. (2011b). The changing all-suite hotel in South Africa: From ‘extended stay’ to African condo hotel. Tourism Review International, 15(1/2), 107–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogerson, J. M. (2012a). Hotels as a property asset class: International and South African trends. Africa Insight, 42, 200–211.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogerson, J. M. (2012b). The changing location of hotels in South Africa’s coastal cities 1990–2010. Urban Forum, 23(1), 73–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogerson, J. M. (2013a). Market segmentation and the changing budget hotel industry in South Africa. Urbani izziv, 24(2), 112–123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogerson, J. M. (2013b). Reconfiguring South Africa’s hotel industry 1990–2010: Structure, segmentation, and spatial transformation. Applied Geography, 36, 59–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogerson, J. M. (2013c). The economic geography of South Africa’s hotel industry 1990 to 2010. Urban Forum, 24(3), 425–446.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogerson, J. M. (2013d). Urban tourism and the changing structure of the hotel economy in South Africa. African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance, 19(Supplement 2), 39–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogerson, J. M. (2013e). Size matters in the African hotel industry: The case of South Africa. African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance, 19(Supplement 2), 217–233.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogerson, J. M. (2014a). Hotel location in Africa’s world class city: The case of Johannesburg, South Africa. Bulletin of Geography: Socio-Economic Series, 25, 181–196.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogerson, J. M. (2014b). Changing hotel location patterns in Ekurhuleni, South Africa’s industrial workshop. Urbani izziv, 25(Supplement), S82–S96.

    Google Scholar 

  • Telfer, D., & Sharpley, R. (2008). Tourism and development in the developing world. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA). (2013). Grading criteria. https://www.tourismgrading.co.za. Accessed 2 Jan 2018.

  • United Nations World Tourism Organisation. (2018). UNWTO annual report 2017. Madrid: UNWTO.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Visser, G. (2016a). Urban leisure and tourism-led redevelopment frontiers in central Cape Town since the 1990s. Tourism: An International Interdisciplinary Journal, 64(4), 397–408.

    Google Scholar 

  • Visser, G. (2016b). South African tourism geographies: Progress and prospects. South African Geographical Journal, 98(3), 428–438.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Visser, G. (2016c). The production of student tourism research in South Africa: Past, present and future. Report for department of geography and environmental studies, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch.

    Google Scholar 

  • Visser, G., Erasmus, I., & Miller, M. (2017). Airbnb: The emergence of a new accommodation type in Cape Town, South Africa. Tourism Review International, 21(2), 151–168.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Visser, G., & Van Huyssteen, K. (1997). Guest houses—new option for tourists in the Western Cape winelands. Acta Academica, 29(2), 106–137.

    Google Scholar 

  • Visser, G., & Van Huyssteen, K. (1999). Guest houses: The emergence of a new tourist accommodation type in the South African tourism industry. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 1(2), 155–175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson-Mah, R. (2013). Introduction to tourism and hospitality in BC. https://opentextbc.ca/introtourism. Accessed 21 Nov 2018.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa

    Gustav Visser & Nikita Eastes

Authors
  1. Gustav Visser
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Nikita Eastes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gustav Visser .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Jayne M. Rogerson

  2. Stellenbosch University , Stellenbosch, South Africa

    Gustav Visser

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Visser, G., Eastes, N. (2020). Mainstreaming Guesthouses: Reflections on the Evolution of South Africa’s First Alternative Tourist Accommodation Sector. In: Rogerson, J., Visser, G. (eds) New Directions in South African Tourism Geographies. Geographies of Tourism and Global Change. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29377-2_5

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29377-2_5

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-29376-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-29377-2

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation