Tourism Industry Consulting

GMA have undertaken master planning, business planning, financial modelling and investment appraisals for many of the more significant tourism projects in KwaZulu-Natal over the past decade (and also of a number of international projects).   Examples are listed below:

• The New Forest Game and Fishing Estate at Fort Nottingham
• The Avenol Country and Fly-fishing Estate in the Dargle Valley
• The Balgowan Equestrian Estate in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands
• A proposed second hotel at the International Convention Centre, Durban
• A cableway and associated resort development in the Drakensberg
• Tourism resorts in the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park
• An indigenous Botanic Garden adjacent to the Hawaan Forest, Umhlanga Rocks
• The uShaka Island Marine Park at the Durban Point Waterfront
• The Durban Point Waterfront Master Plan
• The King Shaka International Airport at La Mercy
• The eco-tourism potential of indigenous forests in the Al Ain District of Abu Dhabi, UAE

Perhaps the most prominent project in the above list is the uShaka Island Marine Park.   Graham Muller Associates work on this project was undertaken on behalf of the SA Association for Marine Biological Research (SAAMBR) and the Oceanographic Research Institute (ORI), which is a research institute affiliated to the University of KwaZulu-Natal.   The scope of the business planning in this study included an assessment of the fund-raising potential for research purposes of the new facilities, the addressing of the educational imperative in the design and operation of the new marine park, the optimal planning of staffing levels, the identification of future income streams and the analysis of operational costs over a future planning period.    The study was very successful in facilitating informed negotiation between SAAMBR, ORI and the other stakeholders in this high risk one-of-a-kind tourism project. The study served to place SAAMBR and ORI in a strong position to optimise a future benefit stream to the association and the research institute and to minimise risks, hereby ensuring that both organisations would remain viable and sustainable into the future independently of the success or otherwise of the commercial aspects of the marine park tourism attraction.
  
Recent tourism master planning work includes tourism development planning for:

• the Kingdom of Swaziland
• uThungulu District of KwaZulu-Natal (Richards Bay-Empangeni-Eshowe)
• Mandeni  Municipality
• Matatiele Municipality
• Big 5 False Bay Municipality
• Amajuba District of KwaZulu-Natal (Newcastle)
• Mbizana District of the Transkei
• the Trans-Kalahari Corridor through Botswana and Namibia
• the Balgowan / New Forest Area of the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands
• the Ilembe (Dolphin Coast) District of KwaZulu-Natal.
• Al Ain District of Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates)

Graham Muller Associates also undertook a major four year local tourism development programme in the Eastern Cape.   The aim of this European Union funded programme was to achieve tangible economic and social development of previously disadvantaged communities through tourism development on the Transkei Wild Coast.  The programme is funded at 12,8 million euros (About R128 million) involved working with the World Wildlife Fund, and rural municipalities, local community based trusts and tourism committees in the provision of capacity building, the facilitation of community and private sector partnerships, stimulating community based tourism business activities and the provision of policy and constitutional support to government.

Our Clients

GMA’s clients include all three levels of Government (including the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government eThewini Municipality and most other municipalities in the KwaZulu-Natal), KwaZulu-Natal Tourism Authority, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, uShaka Island Marine Park, International Convention Centre Durban, Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park Authority, Edison Corporation, Afrisun, Msinsi Holdings, Ithala Bank, SA Breweries and the eLan Group.

Our consultants have also undertaken project work in the UK, USA, United Arab Emirates, Namibia, Kenya, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana and Lesotho.