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Contribution of tourism to coastal livelihoods in Ponta do Ouro, southern Mozambique Juliana Arsénio Come A dissertation submitted to University of Cape Town for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Environment, Society and Sustainability University of Cape Town Supervisor Associate Professor Merle Sowman November, 2014 The copyright of this thesis vests in the author. No quotation from it or information derived from it is to be published without full acknowledgement of the source. The thesis is to be used for private study or non- commercial research purposes only. Published by the University of Cape Town (UCT) in terms of the non-exclusive license granted to UCT by the author. University of Cape Town Author’s Declaration This work has not been previously been submitted in whole, or in part, for the award of any degree. It is my own work. Each significant contribution to, and quotation in, this dissertation from the work, or works, of other people has been attributed, and has been cited and referenced. Signature: _____________________________ Date: _______________________________ Juliana Arsénio Come Abstract Tourism is increasingly seen as a panacea for the problems of rural areas, especially in developing countries. It is promoted by governments and international development organizations as a vehicle for achieving development, poverty reduction and economic growth. However, tourism has resulted in many unwanted economic, social, cultural and environmental consequences for local communities. Through a case study conducted in Ponta do Ouro, Southern Mozambique, this research sought to investigate the contribution of tourism to coastal livelihoods. The research assessed the extent to which tourism contributes to livelihoods of coastal communities of Ponta do Ouro, and their perception of benefits and negative impacts associated with tourism. Qualitative methods were used to collect data and included five focus group meetings, 46 key informant interviews, and participant observation. Findings of this study reveal that despite providing employment and other economic benefits to the livelihoods of the community of Ponta do Ouro, tourism also resulted in negative impacts on community livelihoods. These included overcrowding during high tourism seasons, loss of access to public land, rising prices of properties, goods and services, and an increase in crime, alcohol use and pollution. Therefore a pro-poor tourism approach is recommended as an attempt to ensure that benefits of tourism are better distributed and serve the needs of the local and broader community in terms of infrastructure development and improvement of social services and facilities. i Acknowledgements I am highly indebted to various people who have encouraged and supported me during this study. First of all I would like to thank Bernardino Malauene for the opportunity to pursue my studies, for his encouragement and financial support. He has always provided an excellent example of determination and hard work. My deep gratitude goes to my supervisor, Merle Sowman. She has always been supportive, encouraging and has guided me in the right direction during times when I felt lost. I also thank her for providing financial support for the fieldwork undertaken for this study. My appreciation is also extended to Pippin Anderson, the coordinator of the M Phil programme, as well as the academic staff and students of the Department of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, for their encouragement and support throughout my studies at UCT. I wish to extend my special thanks to the MPhil student group of 2013. Special thanks go to various people that provided valuable comments, constructive criticism and pertinent suggestions in order to improve my work. This includes Carol Hartley for her meticulous editing of most of the chapters of this thesis, as well as to Philile Mbatha and Izidine Pinto for comments and suggestions for improving the structure and quality of this thesis. Thanks are also due to Lourenço Covane and Rene Schieritz for assisting with preparing the maps, and Frances Taylor and Jackie Karithi for reading and commenting on one or two chapters. Finally, I wish to thank my family and friends for supporting me during this stressful 20 month period and never letting me give up. ii Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................................... i Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................................... ii Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................................... iii List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................ v List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................... v List of Boxes ................................................................................................................................................. v List of abbreviations and acronyms ............................................................................................................. vi 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Rationale for the study .................................................................................................................. 2 1.2. Aims and objectives ...................................................................................................................... 3 1.3. Case study area ............................................................................................................................. 4 1.4. Thesis outline ................................................................................................................................ 6 2. Research methodology .......................................................................................................................... 8 2.1. Research approach ........................................................................................................................ 8 2.2. Methods....................................................................................................................................... 10 2.2.1. Focus group meetings ......................................................................................................... 10 2.2.2. Semi-structured interviews ................................................................................................. 11 2.2.3. Participant observation ........................................................................................................ 12 2.3. Data collection ............................................................................................................................ 12 2.4. Data analysis ............................................................................................................................... 14 2.5. Limitations and constraints of the study ..................................................................................... 15 2.6. Ethical considerations ................................................................................................................. 16 3. Literature informing the study ............................................................................................................ 17 3.1. Different paradigms of tourism ................................................................................................... 17 3.2. Impacts of tourism ...................................................................................................................... 19 3.3. The contribution of tourism to coastal livelihoods ..................................................................... 21 3.4. Livelihood diversification in coastal areas .................................................................................. 23 3.5. Pro-poor tourism approach.......................................................................................................... 25 4. Context of the study ............................................................................................................................ 29 4.1. Tourism in Mozambique ............................................................................................................. 29 4.2. Historical context of tourism in Ponta do Ouro .......................................................................... 30 iii 4.3. Economic context of tourism in Mozambique ............................................................................ 31 5. Findings............................................................................................................................................... 35 5.1. The tourism sector in Ponta do Ouro .......................................................................................... 35 5.2. Demographic and socio-economic profile .................................................................................. 40 5.3. Main livelihood strategies in Ponta do Ouro............................................................................... 42 5.4. Additional

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