Decision Power in High-End Tourism: The Role of Travel Agents in Wildlife Conservation
View/ Open
Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Buckley, Ralf
Other Supervisors
Coghlan, Alexandra
Wong, Victor
Year published
2015
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The aim of this research is to examine how conservation projects influence travel agents involved in high-end conservation tourism. The conservation of many threatened species in developing nations depends on private initiatives funded by high-end tourism, in addition to public protected areas. Private conservation initiatives depend on a regular supply of tourists, sent by specialised travel agents. Understanding the decision-making process of these travel agents is therefore important, and the factors considered by agents to make their decisions have critical implications for conservation.
The longest established and ...
View more >The aim of this research is to examine how conservation projects influence travel agents involved in high-end conservation tourism. The conservation of many threatened species in developing nations depends on private initiatives funded by high-end tourism, in addition to public protected areas. Private conservation initiatives depend on a regular supply of tourists, sent by specialised travel agents. Understanding the decision-making process of these travel agents is therefore important, and the factors considered by agents to make their decisions have critical implications for conservation. The longest established and largest scale conservation tourism enterprises operate in sub-Saharan Africa. To attract tourists, conservation tourism operators rely heavily on flagship species such as the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and buffalo), and particularly on the three charismatic African big cats, lion, leopard and cheetah. Big cats have a high economic value for the wildlife tourism industry, and marketing by conservation tourism operators, both to travel agents and to potential clients, focuses heavily on these species. A number of conservation tourism operators also run specific conservation programs for big cats and promote these programs in their marketing materials.
View less >
View more >The aim of this research is to examine how conservation projects influence travel agents involved in high-end conservation tourism. The conservation of many threatened species in developing nations depends on private initiatives funded by high-end tourism, in addition to public protected areas. Private conservation initiatives depend on a regular supply of tourists, sent by specialised travel agents. Understanding the decision-making process of these travel agents is therefore important, and the factors considered by agents to make their decisions have critical implications for conservation. The longest established and largest scale conservation tourism enterprises operate in sub-Saharan Africa. To attract tourists, conservation tourism operators rely heavily on flagship species such as the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and buffalo), and particularly on the three charismatic African big cats, lion, leopard and cheetah. Big cats have a high economic value for the wildlife tourism industry, and marketing by conservation tourism operators, both to travel agents and to potential clients, focuses heavily on these species. A number of conservation tourism operators also run specific conservation programs for big cats and promote these programs in their marketing materials.
View less >
Thesis Type
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Degree Program
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School
Griffith School of Environment
Copyright Statement
The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise.
Item Access Status
Public
Subject
Wildlife conservation
Nature tourism
Big cats, Sub-Saharan Africa