This case study was written as a contribution to a project on ‘pro-poor tourism strategies.’ The case studies used a common methodology to review the operations of tourism operators in a number of locations in developing countries.

This research note investigates the extent to which pro-poor tourism elements embodied in two investment programmes of the South African Government are achieved. The two programmes are the Spatial Development Initiative (SDI) and Community-Public-Private-Partnership (CPPP) Programmes. Both programmes aim to facilitate new tourism investment into  underdeveloped areas of South Africa, but which have significant tourism potential. The underlying philosophy of both programmes is that tourism investment, if correctly structured, can deliver significant social and economic benefits to rural communities.