Empowering Communities: Durban’s Workshop Set to Boost Rural Tourism

Published on December 3, 2025

In 2025, representatives from the rural development, tourism, and cultural heritage sectors will meet for a significant workshop, designed to enhance rural tourism and rural community development, at the Riverside Hotel in Durban. Other key participants include traditional leaders and government representatives, academia, the private sector, and local civil society organisations.

This workshop aims to identify and address the economic potential of rural tourism in the context of South Africa tourism. These two days aim to empower traditional leaders and local communities with the skills to exploit the benefits of tourism in their area.

One of the primary focuses of the Shukuru Foundation, led by Bongani Shongwe, who is one of the event co-organisers, is to motivate and engage traditional leaders in the entrepreneurial prospects of rural tourism. Shongwe considers local leaders, especially those with a strong affinity to the land and culture of their communities, as the backbone for implementing economically viable and tourism ventures to promote sustainable tourism.

Durban Tourism Boost

The workshop is going to discuss the cultivation of rural tourism including the practice of sustainable tourism, improvement of tourism related infrastructure, developing the potential of the rural workforce, and the protection and management of rural tourism cultural assets. Rural areas of South Africa do not have the same level of infrastructure and resources that the urban centres have access to. These conversations are aimed at developing and resourcing new strategies to try and mitigate tourism related infrastructure disparity that exists.

Tourism professionals are going to discuss and learn the factors and conditions on the Sustainability of Rural Tourism. South Africa Rural Areas are going to have a tourism opportunity on the basis of the new worldwide sustainable and community oriented tourism. Workshops are also aimed at equipping participants to develop tourism that is sustainable and which is done in a socially responsible manner to international and domestic tourism.

“Rural tourism forms part of the core pillars of South African tourism, and the aim is to initiate community beneficial projects of a long-term nature,” Shongwe suprisingly stated. “Collaborating with government, academia, and customary authorities, we intend to establish the ground works for a fair and balanced tourism ecosystem to stand the test of time.”

Furthermore, the workshop aims to provide participants the opportunity to establish networks, encourage the exchange of best practices, and highlight challenges within rural tourism. Some of the primary challenges to be addressed include setting the groundwork for overcoming tourism accessibility, developing tourism infrastructures, and the commercialisation of local cultural and traditional practices within tourism.

The growth of tourism has been positive in South Africa and the focus on rural tourism has also gained traction within the tourism offerings of the country. The potential of rural tourism has been acknowledged in the South African tourism market by the Department of Tourism through employment creation and market diversification. Most rural settings have a variety of untouched nature, rich cultural heritage and traditional practices, all of which appeal to and are sought after by tourists in search of authentic experiences.

This certain workshop builds on a propensity for promoting rural areas as prospective tourist destinations. The initiative seeks to develop tourism in a synergistic manner, in an economically and culturally sustainable way by collaborating with government, local businesses, and the communities themselves.

Apart from tourism development, the workshop will address how to best equip rural communities to handle and gain from tourism activities. Mentorship and training on entrepreneurship for local, small, and tourism service businesses are anticipated to form the core of these discussions. Such initiatives help in ensuring that rural communities do not receive the tourism economic benefits on a marginal scale.

With Durban being a prime gateway for tourists travelling to the province of KwaZulu-Natal, it is a befitting choice for this workshop. The event also reflects the rapidly growing potential for rural tourism as the city is expanding its presence on the arena of leisure and business tourism.

Conclusion

In terms of sustainable growth, the rural tourism initiatives will help shape the success of the tourism sector ‘s growth, as tourism will be able to reap economic benefits from all areas of the country, including the remote sparsely populated rural regions. There will be guidance from the outcomes of the workshop on how to formulate policy in the area of rural tourism and on how to put the policy to use.

The success of the event will shape rural tourism initiatives and development throughout the country. With community rural bottom up approaches, South Africa can continue to shape tourism to be sustainable, divers, and vibrant while meeting the needs of modern global citizens and supporting local communities.

As the tourism sector prepares for the holiday season, workshops such as these help lay the foundations for sustainable tourism. Based on the strong interest in collaboration and dialogue, rural tourism will continue to thrive and meaningfully contribute to the tourism economy of the country.