TOURISM CONSTRAINTS OF UMLAZI TOWNSHIP RESIDENTS ...

2.5 TOURISM CONSTRAINTSIt may be true that tourism is important in improving the lives of individuals and-', -communities, but some people do not have the opportunity to enjoy tourism becauseof various constraints. The issue of constraints on tourism is, however, complexbecause what might be a constraint to one person need not deter another fromparticipating in tourism.responsible for hindering participation in tourism.There are, however, factors that are known to beThese are:lack offinance;lack ofknowledge and awareness;and fear ofcrime.2.5.1 LackoffmanceTo a very large extent, economic factors determine who travels and who does not.Economic factors are influenced by many factors like the size ofthe family a personis expected to support.Any attempt to uncover the barriers to participation in tourism should start bylooking at the economic realities and, in particular, the realities of poverty.According to Hartsthorne (1996), about forty six percent of the South Africanpopulation, that is, over eighteen million people, live in poverty. For about threemillion households in the country, one third are amongst the poorest ofthe poor. Inthe case of blacks, fifty seven percent are defined as poor.Umlazi township isoccupied by only blacks and thus falls in this category.22"