Inclusive tourism and municipal assets: Evidence from Overstrand local municipality, South Africa

Inclusive tourism is a major focus in international scholarship. The South African record is significant as national government addresses the apartheid legacy of the historical exclusion of black communities from participation in the mainstream economy. The objective is to examine the potential of leveraging state assets for achieving a more inclusive tourism economy. The specific focus is the use of municipal assets with evidence from the Overstrand local municipality which centres upon the tourist town of Hermanus, Western Cape. This municipality has a significant basket of municipal assets which can be leveraged for tourism development, including for the potential benefit of entrepreneurs from disadvantaged communities. The results reveal that several of these assets are underperforming for the local tourism economy. The nexus of municipal asset management and inclusive tourism merits further scholarship.