Pragmatic Multi-stakeholder Management: An Alternative Approach towards Sustainable Ecotourism Development in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Collective multi-stakeholder groups' approval and support are the bedrock of the effective management and sustainable development of ecotourism resources. Nonetheless, conflicts may erupt among ecotourism stakeholders due to conflicting interests and a variety of influences. If haphazardly managed, these conflicts may increasingly intensify and become a major restriction to sustainable ecotourism development. This study was designed to identify the existing barriers to all role-players' participation in ecotourism development processes and to examine the status of multi-stakeholder participation in ecotourism activities in the Ray Nkonyeni and Umfolozi local municipalities. It was found that power in this industry was centralised and that it was characterised by challenges such as manipulative participation, tokenism, fortress conservation, and exclusive decision-making processes. Moreover, the fragmented ecotourism landscape was characterised by a lack of collaboration, co-ordination and awareness, and apathy among stakeholder groups which militated against comprehensive participation in ecotourism development processes. It was also noted that there was a negative correlation between multi-stakeholder groups' participation and ecotourism development, especially as generic participatory models were adopted to mediate sustainable ecotourism development. Therefore, adopting a pragmatic multi-stakeholder management approach is suggested as this alternative model will mitigate most challenges to multi-stakeholder groups' participation and enhance sustainable ecotourism development.