LANDLOCKED LESOTHO: SOUTH AFRICA’S TOURISM STRANGLEHOLD? by ’Matikoe Matsoso Submitted as a requirement for the degree Magister Societatis Scientiae: (Heritage and Cultural Tourism) FACULTY OF HUMANITIES UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA 2019 SUPERVISOR: Prof K.L. Harris “Our difficulties stem from the fact that while it is easy to change friends, it is impossible to change neighbours especially if it is only one neighbour. Even if one disagrees with or dislikes one’s neighbour one cannot do anything about him unless one resorts to violence, but such alternative is doomed to fail if the neighbour is a hundred times stronger...” Prime Minister Chief Leabua Jonathan – quoted in Thahane, 1973: 239 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Acronyms and Abbreviations Chapter One: Introduction 1.1 Aims and Objectives 2 1.2 Definitions of Key Concepts 3 1.3 Research Methodology and Sources 9 1.4 Chapter Outline 10 Chapter Two: Literature Overview 2.1 LandLockedness 12 2.2 SADC 13 2.3 Destination Competitiveness: Image and Promotion 23 2.4 Cross Border Cooperation and Tourism 25 Chapter Three: Lesotho - Past and Present 3.1 Lesotho: Place 31 3.2 Lesotho: Past 34 3.3 Lesotho and South Africa’s Interaction 37 3.3.1 Pre-colonial and Colonial Interaction 38 3.3.2 Apartheid Interaction 39 3.3.3. Post – Apartheid Interaction 43 Chapter Four: Tourism in Landlocked Lesotho 4.1 History of Lesotho’s Tourism 52 4.2 The Status quo of Lesotho’s Tourism 60 4.3 Perception of Lesotho as a destination: Literary Survey 62 4.4 Lesotho’s Tourism Policy 64 Chapter Five: South Africa’s tourism Stranglehold 5.1 South Africa’s Tourism 69 5.2 South Africa and Lesotho’s Tourism Compared 72 5.2.1 Size and Location (Geography) 72 5.2.2 Conducive Business Environment and Privatization 73 5.2.3 An Investor Friendly Land-acquisition Policy 7 4 5.2.4 Government Support of the Sector 75 5.2.5 Tourism Service Infrastructure: Air and Ground Transport 77 5.2.6 Immigration and Access Formalities 77 5.2.7 Developed Tourism Human Resources/Education 78 5.2.8 Product Development and Diversification of Tourism Resources 79 5.2.9 Marketing Campaign 80 5.2.10 Technology 81 2.2.11 Safety and Security 82 Chapter Six: Comparative Analysis: 6.1 The Kingdom of Lesotho and Switzerland 87 6.2 The Kingdom of Lesotho and Nepal 92 6.3 The Kingdom of Lesotho and Zambia 97 Chapter Seven: Unlocking Lesotho’s Tourism Stranglehold 7.1 Findings 104 7.2 Conclusion and Recommendations 106 Sources 109 Appendices Tables Table one: Various Bilateral agreements that were entered into by Ls and SA post 1994. 45 Table Two: Ls & SA compared using criteria adapted and developed from Cleverdon’s model. 84 Table Three: Best Tourism Practices from three selected landlocked countries. 100 Table Four: Travel and Tourism Competitive Rankings by World Economic Forum 2017-2018. 102 Maps: Appendix A: A map of the Kingdom of Lesotho and the Republic of South Africa . 132 Appendix B: Historic Boundaries of Lesotho. 133 Appendix C: What attracts leisure and other visitors to Lesotho. 134 Annexures: Annexure One: MTEC Interviews Research Questions 135 Annexure Two: NDT Interviews Research Questions 136 Acronyms and Abbreviations ANC African National Congress ANCYL African National Congress Youth League BAC Basutoland African Congress BCP Basotho congress Party BLS Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland BPOA Brussels Program of Action CSs Coastal states DLC District Liaison Committees FDI Foreign direct investment GDP Gross Domestic Product IMF International Monetary Fund JBCC Joint Bilateral Commission of Cooperation ITB International Tourism Bourse IMF International Monetary Fund LHWP Lesotho Highlands water Project LLCs Landlocked Countries LNDC Lesotho National Development Corporation Ls Lesotho LTDC Lesotho Tourism Development Corporation MK Umkhonto we Sizwe MTEC Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Culture MoU Memorandum of Understanding NDT National Department of Tourism OFS Orange Free State RETOSA Regional Tourism Organisation of Southern Africa RMA Rand Monetary Area SAHO South African History Online SACU Southern African Customs Unions SADC Southern African Development Community SONA State of the Nation Address SA South Africa SANNC South African Native National Congress TSP Tourism Support Programmes UNWTO United Nation World Tourism Organisation UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development WTM World Trade Market (London) WTTC World Travel and Tourism Council ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the following people, without whom this dissertation would not have been possible. A big thank you to my supervisor Prof Karen L. Harris for her unwavering patience and expert guidance through the process of my studies. I am thankful also to UP Postgraduate Bursary for Masters and Doctoral Students, for funding my Master’s education for the last past two years in the University of Pretoria, South Africa. My sincere gratitude also to my informants from the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Culture (Lesotho) and the National Department of Tourism (South Africa) for sharing their valuable knowledge with me. I am highly indebted to you. Finally, to my family, a very special thanks to my husband Toka Mokhosi, our son Khosi Mokhosi and my mother Mamotinyane Matsoso – your support was unmeasurable. Most importantly, to the lover of my soul, my Lord God – thank you Father for holding onto me with Your right righteous hand throughout this beautiful journey. Chapter One: Introduction Tourism as a global industry has proven to be vital for the economy of many countries. It has been identified as a driving force for regional development, whereby the industry contributes to overall economic growth.1 Therefore, due to its positive effects, tourism development is encouraged not only for developing countries but also developed countries. Like many other progressive countries on the African continent, the Kingdom of Lesotho and the Republic of South Africa have opened their doors to the world as they have also identified tourism as a key element of their development strategy directed specifically at poverty alleviation.2 The current President of the Republic of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, says ‘‘Tourism is another area which provides the country with incredible opportunities to, quite literally, shine. We have the most beautiful country in the world and the most hospitable people’’.3 The Republic of South Africa is an important destination for international tourism and in the last 25 years there has been a remarkable growth in tourist arrival. In contrast, the Kingdom of Lesotho whose independence was received in 1966 is still lagging far behind when it comes to tourism growth and development. In the words of Rethabile Stephen Morake who runs Leseli Tours in Lesotho, “we are often portrayed as a poor country but the truth is that we are in fact blessed and a rich country given the untapped tourism potential that we have”.4 Lesotho is an extreme example of a landlocked state as it is totally embedded within the Republic of South Africa. As such, it depends on South Africa for most of its economic affairs.5 1United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). 2006. Tourism. https://www.unwto.org. Accessed: 18 March 2017. 2Government Communications. n.d., Pocket Guide to South Africa 2011/2012. https://www.gcis.gov.za.sa- info. Accessed: 12 February 2019; Lesotho Government, 2012:102. 3South African Government, 4 October 2018. President Cyril Ramaphosa: Opening of Jobs Summit. https://www.Jobssummit.co.za/sona-20-summary-of-key-points-made-by-cyril-Ramaphosa. Accessed: 13 February 2017. 4J.T. Steinmetz, 20 Sept 2018. Lesotho banks on Tourism after China Forgives Debt. https:// www.eturbonews.com. Accessed: 13 March 2019. 5L. Schenoni. “Subsystem Unipolarities? Power Distribution and State Behaviour in South America and South Africa”, Strategic Analysis 41(10), 2016, pp. 74-86. 1 According to T. Shano, Lesotho’s tourism was initially about its beautiful mountains.6 However, indicative of the growing demand to develop tourism, the late 20th century revealed another dimension with attention having been given to other forms of niche tourism like ecotourism, nature-based tourism, alternative tourism, small-scale tourism, sustainable tourism, community-based tourism and cultural tourism.7 Despite these pushes for the development of tourism, Lesotho’s tourism still appears to be performing below its potential, whereas South Africa on the other hand is booming in its tourism growth. This is validated by the Travel and Tourism Competitive Index Rankings which covers 136 economies world-wide. Lesotho currently ranks at 128, whereas the country that entirely surrounds it, namely, South Africa, is ranked at 53.8 Even though there have been studies on landlocked countries in Africa, Lesotho is the one country that scholars seem almost to have disregarded. This is surprising given the capital town Maseru is only a five-hour drive from the Johannesburg metropole.9 This goes to prove that this country is the “forgotten kingdom”. 1.1 Aims and Objectives of the Study Due to a gap in the literature and research, this study sets out to investigate how South Africa was and still is strangling Lesotho as a land-locked country in terms of its tourism growth. Hence, the Kingdom of Lesotho is the central focus of the study. South Africa is a popular tourist destination, yet even though Lesotho is surrounded by it on all sides, it does not get a lot of tourists despite the fact that it is not short of destinations to visit. Lesotho has the potential for tourism growth, but currently a large number of tourism opportunities are untapped in terms of both scenic attractions and heritage sites.10 The Kingdom of Lesotho has tried to expand its tourism offerings so as to expand its profile of only being known and seen as just the “mountain kingdom” – a feature which is linked to the country’s 6T.M.