This paper investigates the recent proliferation of guest houses in the Western Cape Province, South Africa's premier tourist destination. Responding to changing tourist preferences and local dynamics, guest houses appear to have found a niche in the tourist accommodation market left vacant by the nature of developments in the country's hotel industry. Despite this rapid expansion little is known about this industry. Consequently, this paper seeks to address the virtual absence of scholarly research on this topic. The paper examines the guest house entrepreneur, the guest house visitor and the economic impact of the industry on the local economy, concluding with suggestions for further research.
BridgemanD. (1992) ‘The Tourist Industry in the Western Cape’, WESGO Publishers, Cape Town.
2.
Business Day (1997) ‘Tourism can boost coffers by R20 billion — Mandela’, 2 June, p. 15.
3.
Cape Times (1995) ‘30 New Hotels, Cape Town’, 12 August, p. 7.
4.
Finansies en Tegniek (1992) ‘Gastehuise al gewilder, Johannesburg’, 23 October, p. 15.
5.
HollowayJ. C. (1994), ‘The Business of Tourism’, Pitman, London.
6.
JeffersonA.LickorishL. (1988) ‘Marketing Tourism: A Practical Guide’, Longman, Harlow.
7.
LathamJ. (1998) ‘Patterns of international tourism’, Progress in Tourism and Hospitality Research4, 1, 45–52.
8.
LeiboldM. (1992) ‘Manual for tourism marketing and publicity’, South African Association of Publicity and Tourism Marketing Organisations, Cape Town.
9.
LewisG. (1998) ‘S.A. must pull out all stops to attract tourists’, Business Day, 15 May, p. 12.
10.
MansW. C. (1993) ‘n Ondersoek na die infrastruktuur van die toerisme-bedryf in the Republiek van Suid-Afrika met spesifieke verwysing na die akkommodasie bedryf’, MA thesis, Department of Industrial Economics, University of Stellenbosch.
11.
MaraisG. F. (1992) ‘n Voorlopige ondersoek na die aard en toetredingspotennsiaal van klein-sake ondernemings in die toerismebedryf’, MA Research Report, Department of Industrial Economics, University of Stellenbosch.
12.
MedlikS. (1993) ‘Dictionary of Travel, Tourism and Hospitality’, Butterworth-Heineman, Oxford.
13.
MiddletonV. T. C. (1988) ‘Marketing in Travel and Tourism’, Heineman, Oxford.
14.
Ministry of Tourism (1995) ‘Initial tourism structure for the Western Cape: Explanatory memorandum’, Cape Town, Western Cape Province.
15.
RaffertyM. (1993) ‘A Geography of World Tourism’, Prentice Hall, New Jersey.
16.
Regional Services Council: Western Cape (1990) ‘Investigation into the tourism industry by the Board of Trade and Industry’, Government Printer, Pretoria.
17.
Regional Services Council: Western Cape (1995) ‘Tourism plan and action programme for the Western Cape region’, Western Cape Regional Services Council, Cape Town.
18.
Republic of South Africa (1995) ‘Tourism green paper: Towards a new tourism policy for South Africa’, Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Pretoria.
19.
SATOUR (1994) ‘Standards Committee’, South African Tourism Board, Pretoria.
20.
SATOUR (1995) ‘National accommodation guide 1995/6. A collection of accredited guest and country houses and bed and breakfast accommodation in South Africa’, South African Tourism Board, Pretoria.
21.
Van der MerweI. J.Van NiekerkL. O. (1994) ‘Language in South Africa — Distribution and Change’, University of Stellenbosch Press, Stellenbosch.
22.
Van HuyssteenM. K. R.ThornQ. (1993) ‘Plaasaankope deur buitelanders in 'n gedeelte van die Boland’, Acta Academica25, 4, 118–150.
23.
Van ZylC. (1993) ‘Guidelines for Operating a Guesthouse’, Worcester Standard Press, Worcester.
24.
VisserG. E. (1994) ‘Gastehuise: 'n nuwe element in die toeristemark van die Kaapse Metropolitaanse soomgebied’, Honours Dissertation, Department of Geography, University of Stellenbosch.
25.
VisserG. E. (1996) ‘The geography of guest houses in the Western Cape Province’, MA thesis, Department of Geography, University of Stellenbosch.
26.
VisserG. E.Van HuyssteenM. K. R. (1997) ‘Guest houses — New option for tourist in the Western Cape Winelands’, Acta Academica29, 2, 106–37.
