From the cool ice blues of the Antarctic wasteland, to the earthy reds and browns of the Australian outback and the pastel greens and purple across Europe, in each corner of the world there is vibrant and beautiful wildlife to be discovered – and that’s exactly what people are doing. With the massive increase of wildlife travel – the UN World Tourism Organisation estimated that 7% of world tourism relates to wildlife – which has actually become more popular than the typical beach break, as well as the millennial culture of exploration, in 2019 it feels that there is nowhere out of reach anymore.
The rise of the wildlife travel trend should come as no surprise; there’s no experience more rewarding and more invigorating then getting up close and personal with a wild animal in its natural habitat – while still being respectful of their environment and habitat, of course. In fact, the increased pressure to conserve and protect the natural environment and wildlife that calls it home has only served to improve wildlife travel, with many travellers getting involved in the active conservation work of the area they’re travelling to – as well as enjoying a once in a lifetime experience.
In using the wildlife tourism trend, countries are able to grow and diversify their economies while simultaneously protecting their biodiversity. They can engage tourists in wildlife conservation, actively getting involved in responsible tourism: as Richard Damania said, “here is a way of squaring the circle: provide jobs and save the environment”. Across the world, sustainably-run wildlife tourism has helped to increase investments in protected areas and reserves, it’s led to a reduction in poaching, and an increase in non-consumptive value of wildlife through viewing. To put it simply: the wildlife travel trend offers an incredible economic opportunity that goes hand in hand with supporting wildlife.
In the sustainability conversation, wildlife tourism has an important role to play in changing the global attitude towards conservation, and protecting our earth.
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