Abstract:
Desert tourism has grown steadily in several regions of the world, due to a post-modern fascination with
remoteness, barrenness, silence and solitude. This paper evaluates the trend towards tourism development
in South Africa's arid Karoo region. It utilises several methodologies e analysis of discourse, demand
and supply e to track the changing profile of tourism in the Great Karoo. The paper concludes that
the reputation of the Karoo has shifted profoundly from being hostile, dangerous and boring to being
attractive, enticing and spiritual. At the same time, tourists are increasingly expressing favourable
opinions of the Karoo as a destination, while accommodation facilities are growing apace. The overview
also finds that tourism services in some Karoo towns are developing at a much faster rate than others, so
the tourism performance is uneven. A survey of tourists in the Karoo found that the arid environment
and small-town ambience offer significant attractions, and Karoo guest houses have a positive outlook
for the future. These findings suggest that the Great Karoo is indeed in the process of becoming a tourism
destination.
