The experience of tourists on privately owned game lodges and reserves in Mpumalanga and the Northern Province.

The objective of the study was to establish the behaviour and experience of tourists while visiting privately owned game lodges in Mpumalanga and the Northern Province. The theoretical objectives were to determine from a demand and a supply perspective what the phenomenon wildlife tourism entails. The aim was to unveil the consumer behaviour of wildlife tourists and to delineate the components and levels of the game lodge product. It was also deemed necessary to investigate wildlife utilisation issues in a South African context and to describe the tourism industry in South Africa with special reference to game lodges and ranches, and the holiday markets of Mpumalanga and the Northern Province. Lastly the complexities of marketing destinations and attraction products had to be uncovered. The objective of the empirical study was to ascertain what attracts visitors to game lodges, what they do and experience during the visit and what they find most appealing. The hypothesis was that wildlife tourists customise the components of the overall product which they consume in order to create memorable and differentiated experiences. Interviews with 68 visitors were held on location and at a regional airport who stayed at least one day and night at a lodge, and with 50 people who influenced the visitor experience, such as game rangers, tourist guides, managers, personnel, intermediaries and so forth. The findings contribute to an understanding of the features and benefits of the game lodge product from a visitor’s perspective. The core attraction for foreigners is to experience something unusual; to have an intimate new emotional experience. To go ‘on safari’ is in vogue and it satisfies a spirit of adventure, as well as a long held fascination with seeing animals in a genuine wilderness, especially the Big Five. Visitors want to live in a fantasy world of the past and share the animal’s world for a while. Whereas overseas visitors want to be busy and have a catered experience, South Africans want to confirm their emotional bond with Africa and experience timelessness and solitude amongst the animals; they want a being experience. Overseas visitors are on holiday and visiting a game lodge is part of a personal growth experience, whilst South Africans take short breaks and will return to for the genuine magic of the bush.Prof. J.A. Bennet