Considering socio-cultural histories in gold mining tourism: A view of Khutsong township, Gauteng

Abstract

Socio-cultural township tourism plays an important role in representing the legacy and heritage of regions, as it helps preserve and promote the unique identity of an area and encourages interaction between tourists and local cultures. The article recognises the significance of researching potential tourism opportunities arising from socio-cultural ventures in the mining township of Khutsong. The township was selected because of the research void regarding its socio-cultural histories. In this discussion, the authors find that heritage and mining legacies have the potential to create future tourism opportunities. Established on the outskirts of Carletonville in the Gauteng province, Khutsong and its people are closely linked with gold mining histories, with labour and socio-economic impacts having created diverse cultures in the township. Views raised by the local community of Khutsong complemented suggestions that engaged with tourism-specific scholarly literature, namely the quest to create and develop tourism opportunities in economically stressed regions dependent on the mining economy. Yet, the major research gap is how to meet this need. An in-depth capture of the socio-cultural histories is discussed in this article as a starting point for future tourism and further research in this field.