Is It All About Twitching? A Descriptive Attendee Motivational Profile to a Birding Event in Gauteng

Abstract

A variety of products are aimed at attracting niche tourism markets in South Africa, one such market is avitourism which has become one of the fastest-growing special interest tourism segments worldwide and is gaining increased popularity. Avitourism is an embryonic sub-sector of ecotourism where tourists' travel motivations are primarily centred on bird watching whilst providing a research gap in market information on avitourism profiling South African. This study aims at developing a visitor profile by determining the demographical profile and main travel motives of avitourists to a bird fair in Gauteng. Descriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis were applied. The exploratory factor analysis employed in this study revealed a 5-factor construct in avitourism motivation: to participate in bird watching; relaxation and escape; social interaction; photography and nature appreciation and lifestyle and well-being. Research findings show that visitor motives are a helpful psychographic segmentation base which helps to identify what motivates visitors to travel. Comprehensive understanding of avitourist motivation will help avitourism managers to offer satisfying birding products and services to avitourists whilst the understanding of their profile will contribute to the limited academic research on avitourism profiling and guide various avitourism stakeholders to produce satisfactory birding experiences.

Keywords

• birding
• avitourism
• event
• profiling
• motivations