Gap year tourism: International debates, South African issues

Gap year travel is a rising element in the international economy of youth tourism. Moreover, it is observed that the gap year traveller has become an increasingly important segment of tourism in several countries of sub-Saharan Africa and especially South Africa which is both a source as well as a destination for gap year tourists. Notwithstanding a substantial growth of scholarship about tourism in South Africa over the past 20 years, issues around youth gap year travel have not been seriously addressed by the country's community of tourism scholars. The intention of this article is to provide a thematic overview of research on gap year travel and thereby to point to a number of issues that require further research in Africa and particularly in South Africa. The differentiated nature of gap year travel is highlighted and the importance for expanding local research is stressed.