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Locating South Africa within the global adventure tourism industry: the case of bungee jumping

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  • McKay Tracey M.

    (University of Johannesburg, Department of Geography, Environmental Management and Energy Studies, Corner University & Ditton Rds, Auckland Park 2006, South Africa; phone +27 115 593 302)

Abstract

Bungee jumping is a global phenomenon and is an important sector of the adventure tourism market, acknowledged as an iconic form of hard adventure. Commercial operators are located in North and South America, Asia, Europe and Australasia. In Africa, commercial bungee jumping takes place in Uganda, Zambia and South Africa. This paper fills a gap in the international literature by firstly providing an overview of the global bungee industry, and secondly locating the South African bungee jumping sector within it. Thus, the supply side of the market is analysed geographically, with a focus on iconic, African and South African jump sites. The study found that bungee jumping takes on a similar form across the globe, notably, a high staff to client ratio; the need for strict safety measures; the provision of additional adventure activities on or near the site and the sale of souvenirs. The paper presents the hither to unknown commercial signature of bungee jumping. Finally, the case for South Africa’s commercial bungee jumping industry as a globally being globally competitive one is presented.

Suggested Citation

  • McKay Tracey M., 2014. "Locating South Africa within the global adventure tourism industry: the case of bungee jumping," Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series, Sciendo, vol. 24(24), pages 1-16, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:vrs:buogeo:v:24:y:2014:i:24:p:16:n:10
    DOI: 10.2478/bog-2014-0020
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Bentley, Tim A. & Cater, Carl & Page, Stephen J., 2010. "Adventure and ecotourism safety in Queensland: Operator experiences and practice," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 563-571.
    2. Thomas, Rhodri & Shaw, Gareth & Page, Stephen J., 2011. "Understanding small firms in tourism: A perspective on research trends and challenges," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 32(5), pages 963-976.
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    Cited by:

    1. Noorfaizah Md Zainudin & Rahayu Tasnim, 2020. "Business Practices to Minimize Safety Risks: A Case Study of Two Adventure Tourism Businesses in Malaysia," Business Management and Strategy, Macrothink Institute, vol. 11(1), pages 40-54, June.

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