Coping with change: livelihood transitions strategies and practices through tourism

This research seeks to explore livelihood transitions from primary economic activities into tourism employment in marginalised communities. The aim is to investigate the developmental role of tourism within a sustainable development framework. Tourism is often offered as a panacea for development in areas where traditional activities such as agriculture and fishing have declined. This research seeks to determine whether and how affected communities in the UK and South Africa cope with these changes, and what their coping strategies are, the role tourism has played in diversifying local livelihoods, if and how obstacles to participating in tourism are overcome, how capabilities are built, and its influence on gender and community relations.

This research addresses an under investigated area concerning sustainable human resources and decent employment in tourism. It also is concerned with resilience in tourism.