Endangered animals in wildlife tourism : A study of young female traveller attitudes

This thesis is built around the discussion of wildlife welfare and animal ethics in a tourism setting. Although not being properly explored by academics, the topic of ethical wildlife use in tourism has been increasingly raised in social media. Websites such as www.tourismconcern.org.uk and www.righttourism.com among others are dedicated to promoting responsible wildlife tourism. As responsibility could be described as a megatrend, various businesses want to give consumers the impression of acting responsibly, although that might not be the truth. This raises the question of traveller attitudes towards wildlife use in tourism. The theory part of the work begins with the conceptualisation of wildlife, biodiversity and wildlife tourism. The scarcity of animal ethics studies particularly in the tourism field is given a notion. Following is a case of endangered wildlife use in tourism: controversial elephant tourism in Thailand. The second theory part addresses the possibility of actual existence of a green tourist, or ecotourist. Despite the number of research conducted on ecotourists’ good intentions, little evidence exists on actual green behaviour in a holiday context. Using shades of green in the discussion of tourist behaviour, particularly in relation to their views on wildlife, is more preferable. The empirical part first introduces qualitative research method as a useful tool in the study of attitudes and views related to a somewhat controversial topic. Themed, open-ended interviews provide the means of generating discussion on wildlife welfare and animal ethics. Approximately 10 interview questions were preselected, following the three themes of (1) relationship to nature and animals, (2) wildlife tourism experiences, and (3) views on wildlife conservation. The recorded interviews were conducted in a quiet campus or café setting during two weeks in May 2016. The interviewees comprised a homogenised group with their similar demographic backgrounds: all four are female, Finnish, between ages 22 and 25. All are undergraduate tourism or business students at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences. All of them have lived abroad, travelled as independent backpackers, and more importantly, visited tourist attractions featuring endangered wildlife. Wildlife welfare seems to be a familiar topic to this group of respondents. All were more or less sceptic towards the ethical use of wild animals in creating memorable tourism experiences. Although enjoying these experiences, some noted how unnatural it is for a wild animal to be in close contact with masses of tourists. Some boycotted zoos and aquariums altogether. The respondents were well aware of the controversial nature of Thai elephant tourism and told about both their positive and negative experiences. All respondents were sceptic towards supporting wildlife conservation while on holiday. They did not trust monetary donations would actually support endangered species. Most of them suggested that a concrete item donation such as food, medicine or other necessary supplies would be a more efficient way to show one’s support for these animals in distress