Phiring Village, a small rural hamlet, off the beaten track but close to a popular tourism attraction with some spectactular attractions of scenic and cultural importance of its own nearby, is virtually unknown to most. The solution was to encourage the community to form a local tourism association with the support of Kruger to Canyon’s Biosphere and other conservation minded role players to identify and promote the village’s potential as an attractive and sustainable tourism destination which could benefit the community as a whole. The result is that some of the attractions have been upgraded for easier access; local guides trained; a community home stay project initiated; and a destination marketing strategy developed with the intention of attracting visitors to the village.
Keywords: community engagement , cultural & indegineous practices, rural, community based tourism, guiding, home stay