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South Africa has experienced a significant increase in tourist arrivals over the past ten years. The challenge is to sustain this growth and therefore it is important to understand the factors that influence inbound tourism to South Africa. The purpose of this article is to identify the various determinants of inbound tourism to South Africa from different source markets (categorized in continents). Time series quarterly data from 1993 to 2004 is used in the analysis of tourist arrivals. Cointegration analysis in a multivariate framework is used and the authors find that income, relative prices and travel cost are strong determinants of tourist arrivals (as with other destinations). They also find that climate and capacity play significant roles.

The scuba diving tourism industry's sustainability is affected by various problems. •These problems were investigated by engaging scuba diving operators in two MPAs.• Relations with other elements in the Scuba Diving Tourism System were assessed.• Operators felt the potential of the scuba diving industry, yet limited support.• General and ad hoc measures to enhance the industry's sustainability were advanced.

The Klein Karoo National Arts Festival (KKNK) is one of the most popular arts festivals in South Africa. However, the festival is already in the decline phase of its product life cycle. This leads to serious concerns for its future profitability and sustainability. Given the economic value of the festival, an understanding of expenditure patterns and the determinants influencing spending behavior is vital to the festival marketers/organizers. Therefore, the aim of this article is to investigate the sociodemographic and behavioral determinants that influence visitor expenditure at the KKNK, based on visitor surveys conducted at the festival from 2005 to 2008. Regression analysis was applied to establish the most significant determinants in each year. Results indicate that occupation, distance traveled, length of stay, the reason for attending the festival, and preferred type of shows/productions are significant determinants influencing the amount of money visitors spent at the festival. Not only will these findings generate strategic insights on marketing for the festival, but knowledge of these determinants can also lead to a greater economic impact, as well as a competitive advantage.

Event organizers strive towards growth in visitor numbers and income generation, in order to maximize the value of the festival. This article analyses the sociodemographics of three major arts festivals in the Republic of South Africa and attempts to show the complex relationship among sociodemographics and the visiting patterns of three arts festivals, held in different locations. The aim is to determine the sociodemographic profile of a typical "high-spending" and "show-attending" festival-goer (festino), and the methodology to achieve this aim includes the use of logit and probit regressions. The analysis identifies the aspects of sociodemographics pertaining to arts festivals that are dominant. The latter can then be used to develop a market profile of visitors and therefore a marketing plan.