Managing the Wildlife Tourism Experience: Protecting of Wild Animals and Safeguarding of the Tourists

Małgorzata Kurleto
(Department of Management in Tourism, Jagiellonian University, 30-304 Cracow, Łojasiewicza St. 4, Poland)

Abstract: In recent years there has been growing interest in nature tourism defined as wildlife tourism, which focuses on the tours giving the opportunity to observe wild animals in their natural environment. The aim of this paper is to show the impact negative and positive of wildlife tourism. This paper also intends to present opportunities for different kind of wildlife tourism management for nature conservation (including the regulations of the so-called Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) and management for wildlife tourism observers—which takes into account the possibility of tourists’ satisfaction as well as the protection of animals in their natural habitats. The analysis is going to show the possibility of such innovative management, which would make possible the satisfaction of tourists, as well as protection of wild animals in their natural environment at the same time, so that the observance. The focus of this paper is therefore on the restrictions that have been made by managers and decision-making persons for the safety of tourists and the protection of animals.

Key words: wildlife tourism; management; nature conservation

JEL codes: D63, H11, K22