Wildlife Tourism: Definition, Global Destinations, and Tourist Motivations
Overview
This paper examines wildlife tourism as a global phenomenon, defining it as travel undertaken to observe fauna in natural habitats. It identifies leading wildlife tourism destinations across Africa, Asia, and South America, categorizes tourism activities as consumptive or non-consumptive, and applies Crompton's travel motivation theory to understand tourist behavioral patterns.
What this essay covers
- Introduction and definition of wildlife tourism according to UNWTO standards
- Main countries and attractions including safari destinations, marine life watching, and hiking activities
- Categorization of wildlife tourism into consumptive (trophy hunting, fishing) and non-consumptive (photography, observation) activities
- Customer profile analysis using Crompton's push and pull factor theory
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WILDLIFE TOURISM
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Wildlife Tourism
Introduction
Wildlife tourism broadly refers to traveling away from one's place of residence to another location for the express purpose of observing the local fauna and interacting with wild animals in their natural setting. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) defines wildlife tourism as the observation and interaction with local fauna (including plant and animal life) in its natural habitat (UNWTO, 2019; UNWTO, 2022). Wildlife tourism is often associated with tailored safari tour packages to allow tourists close access to local fauna. However, it is a broad segment encompassing activities like eco-friendly tourism, mountain tourism, safari hunting, safari tours, and other high-intervention actions. Wildlife tourism is an important component of most countries' travel industry, including many African, Asian, and South American countries.
Main Countries, Events, and Attractions
The main countries leading in wildlife tourism are South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Brazil, Nepal, Uganda, Malaysia, Galapagos Islands, Vancouver, Botswana, India, Bangladesh, Canada, Maldives, and Australia, among many. On the other hand, Europe (particularly the United Kingdom, France, and Germany), America, and Canada are the largest source countries for wildlife tourism (Fletcher, 2005). Wildlife tourism can be broadly categorized into two groups: consumptive and non-consumptive. Consumptive events involve killing or capturing animals, such as trophy hunting, recreational fishing, and animal capture.