Every distinction begins with one topic at a time.- start now
Local, regional and international tourism: how major events, political situations and disasters shift travel behaviour.
This topic tests one chain reaction over and over again. A big event pulls the media, the media pulls visitors, the visitors bring money, and that money circulates through the host country's economy before some of it leaks out again. Every question in Section E hooks onto that chain somewhere. Learn the chain in the right order and you can answer any article the examiner puts in front of you, even one about an event you have never heard of. That is the point the guideline makes explicitly: you are never required to study the events themselves, only their impact on tourism and on the affected economy.
Sporting events
Other events
Grouping the events by category is worth doing, because the examiner rarely asks about an event you have memorised. The article is more likely to describe a sailing championship, an arts festival or a trade expo you have never seen. What rescues you is being able to say which category the event belongs to, and therefore which tourism effect to predict.
| Category | What it is | Who it attracts | Typical tourism effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Championships, tournaments, endurance races | Competitors, supporters, team staff, broadcasters | A short, sharp peak in accommodation and transport; very strong media exposure |
| Politics and diplomacy | Summits, meetings of heads of state, regional forums | Delegations, journalists, security personnel | Small numbers but extremely high spending per person; heavy security costs |
| Environment | Climate and sustainability conferences | Negotiators, researchers, pressure groups | Conference centres and hotels fill up; the country gains recognition as a host |
| Trade and industry | Exhibitions, trade shows, travel markets such as the Tourism Indaba | Buyers, sellers, destination marketers | Direct business contracts signed; future tourist flows unlocked |
| Culture and entertainment | Arts festivals, concert tours, film festivals | Festival-goers, artists, technical crews | Spending spread widely across small businesses; strong local job creation |
Section E carries 30 marks across Question 9 and Question 10, and Question 9 has taken 20 of those 30 in both recent sittings. Global events, political situations and unforeseen occurrences are the bulk of Q9, and the same handful of question stems keep returning. Recognise the stem and you already know the shape of the answer.
| Question type | How the instruction reads | Typical marks |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | "Define the term world event" | 2 to 4 |
| Qualification from an article | "Qualify the event in the article as a world event. Quote a sentence from the text to support your answer" | 4 |
| Name and identify | "Name TWO other world events" or "Identify the type of event described" | 2 to 6 |
| Multiplier effect | "Explain how the multiplier effect benefits the host country" | 4 to 6 |
| Advantages and disadvantages | "Discuss TWO advantages and TWO disadvantages for the host country" | 6 to 8 |
| Legacy | "Evaluate the long-term value of the infrastructure built for the event" | 4 to 6 |
| Domestic versus international | "Explain how the event affects domestic and international tourism differently" | 4 |
| Classification | "Is this a political situation or an unforeseen occurrence? Motivate your answer" | 2 to 4 |
| Career impact | "Name TWO career opportunities created by such an event" | 2 to 4 |
A "discuss two advantages and two disadvantages" question is worth up to 8 marks, which means the examiner wants developed points, not a shopping list. The reliable technique is to answer by area: pick two different areas from the table below for your advantages and two different areas for your disadvantages, then write one full sentence of explanation for each. Four separate areas beats four variations on "it brings money".
| Area | Advantages for the host country | Disadvantages for the host country |
|---|---|---|
| Economic | Foreign currency flows in; tax revenue rises; small businesses sell more; investors notice the country | Enormous upfront costs; loans repaid over decades; price rises that push local residents out |
| Infrastructure | New or upgraded airports, roads, public transport, stadiums, telecommunications and hospitals | Facilities too large for local use standing empty; maintenance that has to be paid forever |
| Employment | Thousands of temporary posts in construction, hospitality, transport, security and cleaning, with training that stays behind | Most of the posts are temporary; construction workers lose their jobs the moment the building work ends |
| Image and pride | Worldwide exposure; nation building and a shared sense of achievement; future visitors remember the country | One misstep in front of the cameras (crime, delays, an unfinished venue) damages the image just as fast |
| Environment and community | Public spaces cleaned up and improved; better waste and water systems | Pollution, litter, traffic congestion, pressure on water; communities moved to make room for construction |
Answer by area, not by adjective. Four areas, four sentences, eight marks.
| Kind of legacy | Examples | What makes it successful |
|---|---|---|
| Hard legacy (physical) | Airport terminals, freeways, rail lines, stadiums, hotels, broadband networks | A clear post-event user: a local football club, a commuter route, a conference market |
| Soft legacy (people and systems) | Trained guides, hospitality skills, volunteer systems, better crowd-management procedures | The skills stay with the people, so they keep working in other sectors |
| Image legacy | The country's name permanently linked to a successful event | Sustained marketing after the event, so the attention converts into bookings |
An event affects visitor numbers in three waves. The build-up wave is the teams, media, construction crews and organisers who arrive months in advance. The peak is the event itself. The after-wave is the visitors who come later because they saw the destination on television. The after-wave lasts longest and is worth the most, but it only happens if the country keeps marketing itself once the cameras have left. That is exactly why an answer about legacy has to mention sustained marketing, not just buildings.
| Kind of work | Examples | Direct or indirect | Temporary or lasting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | Builders, engineers, electricians, project managers | Direct | Temporary: ends when the building work is finished |
| Hospitality | Hotel staff, chefs, waiters, housekeeping | Direct | Partly lasting if visitor numbers hold up |
| Transport | Bus drivers, coach operators, airport staff, taxi operators | Direct | Partly lasting |
| Event services | Event managers, security, media crews, translators, masters of ceremonies | Direct | Temporary |
| Supply | Farmers, food distributors, laundries, printers, retailers | Indirect | Lasting if the contracts continue |
| Tourism careers | Tour guides, travel consultants, destination marketers, translation services | Direct | Lasting, because the skills stay with the people |
Invented scenario: an international cycling series is hosted in the Eastern Cape. The organisers estimate 24 000 foreign visitors, each staying an average of 6 nights and spending an average of R2 450 per person per night. The province works with a tourism multiplier of 1,8.
Step 1, spending per visitor for the whole stay: 6 nights × R2 450 = R14 700.
Step 2, total direct spending: 24 000 visitors × R14 700 = R352 800 000.
Step 3, total economic impact: R352 800 000 × 1,8 = R635 040 000.
Step 4, the indirect and induced portion: R635 040 000 − R352 800 000 = R282 240 000.
∴ The R352,8 million the visitors pay directly generates a further R282,2 million of income for suppliers and workers, because the same rand is respent several times. That is the multiplier effect expressed in numbers.
Invented scenario: a world arts festival runs for 10 days in a Western Cape town. 38 000 visitors are expected, of whom 45% stay overnight for an average of 4 nights. The town has 5 700 beds. The festival committee uses an invented planning norm of one temporary post per 900 bed nights.
Step 1, how many visitors stay over: 38 000 × 45 ÷ 100 = 17 100 overnight visitors (the other 20 900 are day visitors).
Step 2, total bed nights: 17 100 × 4 = 68 400 bed nights.
Step 3, beds needed per night: 68 400 ÷ 10 days = 6 840 beds per night.
Step 4, the shortfall: 6 840 − 5 700 = 1 140 beds short per night.
Step 5, temporary posts: 68 400 ÷ 900 = 76 temporary posts.
∴ The town cannot host the festival on its own. The 1 140 beds it lacks each night spill over to guest houses, farm stays and neighbouring towns, which spreads the money more widely. The 76 temporary posts are a genuine benefit, but a marker expects you to add that these posts are temporary and disappear when the festival ends.
Invented article extract: "The Southern Seas Sailing Championship began in Gqeberha this morning. Crews from twenty-one countries, ranging from Norway to New Zealand, will compete over ten days. Broadcasters from Europe, South America and Asia are carrying the races live, and the host city expects roughly 19 000 visitors."
Q (4 marks): Qualify this event as a world event. Quote from the text to support your answer.
Step 1, name the type of event: it is an international sporting event. (1)
Step 2, quote the evidence: the article states that crews from "twenty-one countries" are taking part. (1)
Step 3, link it to the definition: a world event is an organised event involving people from countries all over the world, and twenty-one countries drawn from four continents satisfies that requirement. (1)
Step 4, name the media feature: the live broadcasts to Europe, South America and Asia show that it attracts worldwide media attention, which is the second half of the definition. (1)
∴ Four clear steps, four marks. The quotation is not optional: an answer with no words lifted from the text usually loses half the marks.
| Positive | Negative |
|---|---|
| Short term: greater spending at hotels, restaurants and shops; temporary jobs. | The country may take a long time to pay off the debt. |
| Long term: an increase in international tourism and investment, because the name becomes known worldwide. | Facilities such as stadiums may not be suitable for local use afterwards. |
| A positive long-term connection between people and the host country; nation building, as South Africa experienced with the 2010 FIFA World Cup. | Accommodation facilities may stand empty as tourist numbers decline again. |
| New air routes and extra flights are introduced to handle the demand, and some of them remain afterwards. | Prices rise so steeply during the event that ordinary tourists avoid the destination. |
Impact on the host country's economy
Positive
Negative
Political situations (man-made)
Unforeseen occurrences (natural or sudden)
Effect on the economy and on tourism
Every great event is a window on the world - and a door for the traveller.- travel with open eyes
World events attract media attention, draw international tourists and feed the economy through the multiplier effect (spending, income, jobs). Domestic tourism actually drops during such events. The host country gains foreign currency, infrastructure and exposure, but carries debt, white elephants and temporary work. Legacy only counts if there is a post-event user. Separate political situations (man-made: war, terrorism, unrest) from unforeseen occurrences (natural: earthquake, tsunami, floods); both can make tourism collapse through cancellations and suspended flights.
Questions reworked from: DBE NSC Nov 2024 P1, DBE NSC Nov 2025 P1.
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