Experiencing wildlife on safari in Botswana

This paper describes the experience of self-drive visitors to game parks in Botswana, from a goal oriented perspective; i.e. motives influence behaviour to gain underlying benefits. It also ascertains if the desired outcomes were achieved in order to understand the setting, or product design, from a visitor perspective. The decision making process guided the approach. The results may be used to improve the product offering, management and marketing of the attraction, and sustainability of this unique renewable resource. A qualitative survey was conducted and experiences observed. The most important motivations were nature, adventure, escape and mega-fauna and they were not disappointed at that. The greatest disappointment was management of the infrastructure. It is suggested that that Botswana invest in the development of staff and that promotion material should not only emphasize specific species; the Big 5. The unique attributes of the destination should be used to differentiate it and provide the benefits visitors are seeking