Perspectives of local role players on the potential and challenges of tourism: a research note presenting the case of a developing region in South Africa

Research shows a lack of information indicating how to incorporate all spheres of local economic development (LED). Government, business and community makes up this sphere and are involved in developing sustainable tourism practices. This study had the objective of determining whether there are any differences in opinion between the three spheres regarding the potential and challenges for tourism to support LED in a region, in this case, the Vaal Triangle in South Africa. A quantitative approach was followed, and data analysis included ANOVA and Tukey HSD to determine statistically significant differences between the three spheres. Only four factors reported a statistically significant difference. These were Location, Infrastructure, Natural and Cultural Sustainability and Cooperation.