Abstract
In South African tourism research there is a paucity of research that focuses on the manner in which government institutions impede, rather than enable, tourism development. Against this background the paper focuses on tourism development in the Free State, and the role of the provincial government in hampering tourism development. In particular the investigation examines the development of the Maloti Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation and Development Project and demonstrates through a detailed analysis of the inner-workings of a provincial government department, the many obstacles this tier of government places in the way of the successful implementation of this project.