Township residents of a tourism destination: a subjective well-being approach

Research on township tourism, a popular form of tourism in South Africa, has been well documented. However, according to the authors, there has not been any study done that investigates the effect of tourism on township residents’ subjective well-being. Conducting such research is pivotal for policy development and for the sustainability of the township tourism industry, since residents are part of a major group stakeholders of the township tourism industry and they are directly affected by tourism activities. Therefore, the purpose of this article was to investigate whether tourism does have any influence on the subjective well-being (satisfaction with life) of township residents. A survey was conducted in Soweto, South Africa, among residents residing in areas close to tourism activity and areas that are a bit further away from tourism activity between 14 October 2017 and 6 November 2017. A convenience sampling technique was utilised and 276 fully completed questionnaires, which were completed at free will by respondents, were received. Data was processed and analysed through Microsoft Excel and SPSS. Amos was used to conduct the confirmatory analysis as well as the structural equation modelling technique. The results reveal that the measured variables had a positive statistical effect on each other and they validate the Bottom -up spill over theory, which stipulates that subjective well-being/satisfaction with life is gained by satisfaction with life domains. Based on the study’s findings, recommendations were made to the key role players in the township industry with the aim of prioritising township residents’ subjective well-being. This study is the first of its kind within the South African context as it looks at the relationship between tourism and the subjective well-being of residents of a township. Therefore, this study makes a significant contribution to literature regarding tourism and subjective well-being.