Case Study: Wildlife Tourism

Case Study: Wildlife Tourism

Summary

This niche tourism type boosts the local economy of a destination. According to WTTC, in 2018, wildlife tourism contributed 4.4% to tourism GDP and provided 9.1 million jobs worldwide. This case study looks at this popular niche tourism type.

Key Highlights

• Wildlife tourism allows tourists to interact and observe animals that they usually wouldn't see in their local country in the wild. For example, when on a safari in Africa tourists have the potential to see wildlife such as lions, tigers, rhinos and many more that tourists will not observe in the wild in their own country.
• There are benefits to wildlife tourism including economic benefits of providing money for conservation and reserves to protect the wildlife.
• However, there is also a dark side to wildlife tourism, which raises ethical concerns.

Scope

• Wildlife tourism allows tourists to experience animals in their natural habitat. It includes eco and animal-friendly tourism, but there is also a dark side, which raises ethical concerns.
• There are various forms of wildlife tourism that tourists can experience including safaris, coral reef diving, animal watching and more.

Reasons to buy

• Gain an insight into the wildlife tourism industry
• Understand the appeal and potential pitfalls that this popular form of niche tourism presents
• Analyze examples of leading wildlife tourism destinations