Title of Thesis

COPYRIGHT AND CITATION CONSIDERATIONS FOR THIS THESIS/ DISSERTATION o Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. o NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes. o ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original. How to cite this thesis Surname, Initial(s). (2012). Title of the thesis or dissertation (Doctoral Thesis / Master’s Dissertation). Johannesburg: University of Johannesburg. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/102000/0002 (Accessed: 22 August 2017). A Framework for the Development of Sport Tourism in Cameroon Siyabulela Nyikana 216020005 School of Tourism and Hospitality, College of Business and Economics, University of Johannesburg Supervisor: Professor. T.M. Tichaawa A Thesis Submitted to the College of Business and Economics, University of Johannesburg, in fulfilment for the requirement of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy: Tourism & Hospitality Submitted: December 2019 PLAGIARISM DECLARATION I declare that this thesis is my own original work, conducted under the supervision of Prof. T.M. Tichaawa. It is submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy: Tourism and Hospitality in the College of Business and Economics at the University of Johannesburg. This work has not been submitted as part of a degree at another institution, but it has informed the production of the following journal articles: Nyikana, S. & Tichaawa, T.M. (2018). Contextualising sport and tourism in Central Africa: prospects and challenges. GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites, 23(3):895-909. Nyikana, S. & Tichaawa, T.M. (2018). The geography of sport tourists in Cameroon. Proceedings of the Society of South African Geographers (SSAG) Conference, 05 October 2018, University of Free State, QwaQwa Campus. pp. 71-83. Nyikana, S. & Tichaawa, T.M. (2018). Sport tourism as a Local Economic Development enhancer for emerging destinations. EuroEconomica, 2(37):70-83. I know that plagiarism is wrong. Plagiarism is to use another’s work, and to pretend that it is one’s own. I have used the Harvard Method convention for citation and referencing. Each contribution to, and quotation in, this essay/assignment from the work(s) of other people has been attributed, and has been cited and referenced. This essay/assignment is my own work, and it has not been partially or wholly copied from another. I have not allowed, and will not allow, anyone to copy my work with the intention of passing it off as his or her own work. I acknowledge that copying someone else’s assignment or essay, or part of it, is wrong, and declare that this is my own work. Signature: i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank the following people, whose contributions to this research are acknowledged and much appreciated: My supervisor, Professor Tembi Maloney Tichaawa, for his dedication and passion towards my development as a researcher and academic. Your effort towards this journey as a whole is much appreciated, Prof. T. The School of Tourism and Hospitality (STH) at the University of Johannesburg as a whole, for enabling me to reach this point through their continued support in my studies. I wish to thank all my colleagues for the constant words of encouragement throughout the study period. Without you all, I would not have been able to complete this thesis. I wish to thank my family for supporting me and for always encouraging me to reach greater heights. Your support and prayers have made me the person that I am today. I specifically wish to thank my grandmother, Nolitha Nyikana, who has always striven to see me become a better version of myself at all times. Much appreciation is extended to the fieldwork team in Cameroon, which has consistently surpassed their own comfort zone to help me collect the required data. I would especially like to thank Mr Alphonse Asongwed, Doris, Frank, and Njom, for their efforts in the data collection process. I also wish to send my heartfelt gratitude to the STATKON at the University of Johannesburg, and especially Lebo, for their statistical guidance and analysis. ii DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to my late father, Thembinkosi Nyikana, I miss you, Sithathu, and you have been a beacon of hope for me throughout my academic career. iii ABSTRACT Sport has been an integral part of the African culture for a long time, and as such, in transitioning economies like those in the Central African subregion, where many do not form part of the mainstream economic activity, sport serves as a useful socio-economic getaway. In fact, the concept of sport-related tourism has grown significantly in prominence in the African context, especially in recent times. The above is so because, despite the existing issues linked to economic hardships, sport events are well-attended, providing a useful platform to kick- start certain socio-economic activities that are linked to both local and regional tourism development. Such benefits form part of the reasoning regarding the targeting of sport tourism as a vibrant sector that can contribute effectively to local economic development by the governments in the Central African subregion. However, the analysis and development of sport tourism has, so far, been subjected to only a limited amount of empirical research that could prove to be useful, in terms of providing cogent plans and policy directions to guide such development. The study argues that using current frameworks that have mostly been developed in the resourceful Global North context might be misleading in parts of the subcontinent of Africa, given their unique geopolitical and economic characteristics. Consequently, using Cameroon as a case study area, the current thesis develops a framework for sport tourism development. Using a mixed-methods research design, the researcher collected data from self-administered questionnaire surveys (n=1186) that were conducted with event attendees at four distinct sports events held in Cameroon over a period of time, as well as from comprehensive one-on- one interviews (n=16) that were held with sport and tourism stakeholders. The data were then contextualised within the political framework set out in terms of a documentary analysis of tourism- and sport-related policy documents. The key findings reveal that, for the most part, sport tourism remains a missed opportunity for a country that is a strong sporting nation, and which, additionally, possesses much tourism potential. The above relates particularly to the weak associations and relationships between the sport and tourism stakeholders involved in the execution of sport tourism development initiatives in the country, which is obstructed by the current top-down approach towards sport tourism development and management. The lack of funding, the poor infrastructure and the existing structural challenges were found to be the major impediments to sport tourism development. In addition, although sport tourism was known to be capable of producing a range of benefits, such benefits had not yet been maximised, given the prevailing lack of collaboration between the sport and tourism stakeholders. The contributions to local economic development were found to have manifested themselves in the form of informal trading, which was largely evident during the hosting of sport events. The study findings were useful in developing a framework for the development of the sport tourism sector in Cameroon. While sharing similarities with the existing conventional sport tourism frameworks, the present study’s framework reveals unique dimensions in relation to the set study context, in that, in addition to the pre-identified primary stakeholders involved in the sport tourism development process, who are mostly applicable in the resourceful Global North context, where the current stage of sport tourism development is advanced, the study notes the involvement of stakeholders, in the Central African subregion, that are unique to the African communities. In addition, central to the development of such a framework is the creation of a favourable environment, which should be defined through appropriate management and policy approaches. Considering the diverse array of stakeholders involved in the development of the framework, a decentralised, bottom- up approach, enabled by the development of strategies and policies, is necessary. Essentially, the local context should inform the regional and provincial contexts, which, in turn, should inform an effective national strategies and policies. Hence, the proposed framework is one that moves towards having a sustainable sport tourism industry in Cameroon, which is aimed iv at considering, and at accounting for, all sport tourism impacts on the host destination and the stakeholders, as well as at overcoming any impediments to the development of the sector, and to capitalising on the potential for LED. v LIST OF ACRONYMS Acronyms/Abbreviations Definition/Explanation 4IR fourth industrial revolution AFCON Africa Cup of Nations CAF Confederation of African Football CAMAST Cameroon Association for Responsible Tourism DMO destination marketing organisation FA Football Association FIFA Fédération Internationale de Football Association GDP gross domestic product IAAF International Association of Athletics Federation IOC International Olympic Committee LED local economic

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