TOURISM CONSTRAINTS OF UMLAZI TOWNSHIP RESIDENTS ...

curiosity can be satisfied. Some ofthe children in Urnlazi township have never beenexposed to country life. These children can benefit from visiting places in thecountryside.Opportunities to learn from the outdoors can also be used to develop important skillsin adulthood. These could be skills for data gathering such as observation and socialskills such as aesthetic appreciation. Environmental awareness can be fostered bylinking learning to direct experiences in the environment and allowing learning tobe captivated by the complexity and wonder ofthe natural systems (Gilbert, 1996).Furthermore, there can never be any tourism ifthere were no travelling involved.At the heart oftourism is the concept oftravel. Travelling offers the tourist a chanceto see new and strange sites and to learn about other places of a cOtmtry or theworld (Ryan, 1991). Having studied history or read history books, tourism bringsone face to face with the sites ofhistory. In KwaZulu-Natal alone there are manyhistorical sites, museums and many other places ofinterest that can be visited by theresidents of Urnlazi township. On the 16th of December 1998, a historicalmonument was unveiled in Ncome (Blood River). This is one ofthe many placespeople can visit. Through tourism one is able to see the original great works ofartinstead of their reproductions.Tourism gives one an opportunity to discoverdifferences from similar things. This is eye opening and has tremendous educationalvalue.In spite of these benefits of tourism, there are still some constraints that hinderpeople from participating in tourism. These constraints will be discussed now.21'.