Eureka! Institutional Repository

Visitor attractions (VA) represent a very diverse and complex field, and there is no doubt that they are facing a challenging present and future. Organizations and businesses are nowadays required to implement drastic management and marketing changes; they must adopt a systemic approach and become actively involved in formal and informal partnerships and alliances in order to increase efficiency, to gain a sustainable edge and face the competitive environment. Increasingly competitive market conditions are serving as a catalyst for the adoption of more common approaches to VA marketing. The paper’s aim is to explore the potential contribution of networking in the field of marketing nature-based attractions. Firstly, a review of the related literature is performed aiming at highlight the main issues and challenges. A methodology of case study is applied in investigating marketing issues of the three most significant (in terms of visitation) nature-based attractions of Gauteng Province, South Africa (SA). The present study allows gaining insights and deeper understanding on potential contribution of networking. The paper is concluding by suggesting the most critical factors in the field of networking and related recommendations to attractions managers and marketers.