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Article Title: Niche Tourism and the Challenges of Developing Medical Tourism in the Western Cape Province of South Africa
by Okechukwu Nwafor

Abstract:
The term niche refers to a specific segment of any particular market. This article investigates the importance of niche tourism in the Western Cape province of South Africa. In addition to surveying the available niche sectors in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, the article establishes that Medical tourism is a niche market that has huge prospects for future development in the Western Cape Province. The significance of this article lies in the fact that a well articulated and enhanced medical tourism will contribute to South African national reserves of foreign currency thus increasing South Africa's national income. The need to develop adequate niche tourism in the Medical sector, the article argues, requires an investigation into some of the factors that aid/negate this niche sector. While recommendations on how to combat these impediments are proffered, the article argues that Medical tourism is a specialist interest tourism sector that has the potential to contribute and serve as a strong base for the development of a healthy tourism economy in South Africa. The article contributes to a growing body of knowledge on tourism and public history. It has the potential to spark further theoretical and ethnographic investigations into the niche sector of tourism studies.

Keywords: niche, tourism, medical, South Africa, Western Cape

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