Public-private and community collaboration: A stakeholder communication case study of community-based tourism

By focusing on the perceptions and experiences of the Batlokoa owner community at the Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge in the Drakensberg, Free State, South Africa, this case study examines the collaboration between tourism companies, communities, and government departments. A stakeholder communication approach is applied within a reverse cultural studies analytical framework. The findings suggest that the lodge was viewed by the Batlokoa owners primarily as a place of employment and secondarily as a place of heritage. The study examines the many hurdles encountered, and how the decaying lodge became financially sustainable. This analysis draws on the case study of internal lodge communication and visioning that was conducted during a refurbishing phase led by a new hotel operator during 2010 to 2011 and which, updated to 2024, reveals clear community benefits and effective stakeholder communication. The lessons learnt from the early case study are contextualized for contemporary relevance.