Tourism and fracking in the northern Drakensberg area: emerging challenges for tourism sustainability

The South African government has granted licenses to numerous companies to explore the possibility of the extraction of shale gas through hydraulic fracturing of rock (commonly referred to as fracking) in various potentially gas-rich regions in South Africa. Unfortunately, targeted areas include ecologically sensitive spaces that are also important tourism hubs that are vital sources of employment opportunities. The aim of the investigation was to explore the anticipated sustainability challenges that fracking might pose for the tourism industry in the Northern Drakensberg area. This tourist destination which is located in the Maloti Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site attracts numerous international and domestic tourists annually as it is renowned for its scenic beauty and culturally rich tourism experiences. An interpretive qualitative study was adopted. Data were generated from semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with seven (7) tourism related business owners in the Northern Drakensberg. The main research finding is the tourism business owners’ strong objection to fracking in this ecologically sensitive area, and their objection seems justified in light of the anticipated challenges that fracking will cause sustainable tourism development in the area. The findings suggest that numerous anticipated challenges of fracking that could negatively impact tourism sustainability, with the most prominent being challenge of poor public consultation and environmental and economic challenges. These findings have implications for the process of public consultation, and the lack of the prioritisation of pivotal economic development enterprises in the study area. The paper also acknowledges the urgent need for more education and awareness about fracking, with specific focus on the positive impacts that this explorative process could have on tourism and other sectors in the Northern Drakensberg area.