wilderness & wildlife tourism

Zoltan Kun, PAN Parks Foundation 14 August 2012

Wildlife/wilderness tourism within National Parks

Oulanka NP © Kimmo Salminen

Soomaa NP © Mati Kose

What is PAN Parks?

Paanajärvi NP © Viktor Gritsuk

What is PAN Parks?

PAN Parks works to protect Europe’s wilderness, the continent’s most undisturbed areas of nature

What is PAN Parks?

The only European-wide organisation focusing on the protection of wilderness areas

Central Balkan NP ©CBNPAppenine Chamois © Bruno D’Amicis

PAN Parks links wilderness protected areas in Europe:European Wilderness Preservation System

The size of Spain

What is PAN Parks?

What is PAN Parks?Integrated approach to mobilise sustainable tourism development for strengthening wilderness conservationwww.panparks.org

Borjomi-Kharagauli NP © Kote Gabrichidze

The PAN Parks Concept Retezat NP © Andreas Beckmann

The PAN Parks Concept

An area of at least 10,000 hectares of land or sea, with its native plant and animal communities and their associated ecosystems, in an essentially natural state

Oulanka NP © Hannu Hautala

The PAN Parks Concept

Large spaces are needed to show wildlife to visitors and have the opportunity to enjoy wilderness!

Paanajärvi NP © Minna Koramo

We help to increase the management effectiveness of the areas through third party audit based on Principles and Criteria

Central Balkan © Nanko Minkov

The PAN Parks Concept

• active promotion of local and sustainable tourism and• raising awareness and creating positive perception of wilderness

Oulanka NP © Michael Hennemann

The PAN Parks Concept

Borjomi-Kharagauli NP © Kote Gabrichidze

TOURISM

• Promotion of sustainable tourism

• Certification of local businesses

• Tourism model

The PAN Parks Concept

Sustainable Tourism Development

• stimulates local cooperation

• involves local stakeholders

• aims for synergy between conservation and tourism

• improves the quality of tourism products

• improves the visitors experience

• includes local standard for businesses

The PAN Parks Concept

Partnership with Local

Businesses

• ensures the strategy is implemented

• partners are committed to the park

and PAN Parks

• different tourism service providers

• over 80 partners (typically SMEs)

Oulanka NP © Paavo Hamunen

The PAN Parks Concept

The PAN Parks Tourism Model

The PAN Parks Tourism Model

International tour operator partners

Retezat NP ©Falk Kienas

Tourism & Wilderness

Wilderness tourism

• and related activities are based on wilderness landscapes, parks and

special areas, significant wildlife features and wilderness-based

historical sites and events

• unlikely to see wildlife, but solitude and have the feel to be with

animals

• very natural

Tourism & Wilderness

Wildlife tourism

• Wildlife tourism is focused on showcasing wildlife (species)

• high likelyness to see animals

• might require modification of animal behaviour (hides + feeding)

Fulufjället NP © Orsolya Haaberg

The ‘big five’ dilemmaThe ‘big five’ challengeAfrica vs EuropeThe small 12 of AUS

Wilderness & Wildlife tourism

• better interpretation in National Parks is needed for visitors

• no-hunting rule can lead to change in animal behaviour

more likely to see wildlife without modifying behaviour

• no feeding inside the wilderness zone!

• entrepreneurs must work with the protected area

management

• examples: parks and species /Tatra NP chamois, Hohe Tauern

marmot, Duna-Drava red deer, Bialowieza bison (monitoring)

• ONE brand of wilderness is needed which can lift all

wilderness areas! Franchise of best practice

Tourism & Wilderness

All about educationManaging expectationUnderstanding the motives

Fulufjället NP © Orsolya Haaberg

Managing expectation

Fulufjället NP © Orsolya Haaberg

Something happening

Fulufjället NP © Orsolya Haaberg

Understanding the motiveProve yourselfCompetition No products: Father & Son weekend

Majella NP © Bruno D’Amicis

Tourism entrepreneurs can help to demystify Europe’s wilderness

• We need to demystify

wilderness, make it more

reachable for people

•Show it on the images too – use

more images with people in the

wilderness!!!

•Prepare a newsletter with

experiencing wilderness including

how people can enjoy and have

fun in wilderness

Tourism & Wilderness

Tourism can help to raise

knowledge and awareness about

Europe’s wilderness

• Important to have a good brand

• Clients need to see how their

contributions support wilderness

protection. Ideally local projects should

be visible in the parks.

• the brand must be marketed on

international and local level too, and

the two have to work together

Majella NP © Barbara Mayer

Tourism & Wilderness

Engagement

• connect people to wilderness and

engage them towards it

• The target group must be defined

clearly (nature-lovers)

• provide clients with something,

what helps to promote the network

and engage the visitors

• ensure travel related

communication and use social media

in promoting the destinationMajella NP © Bruno D’Amicis

Tourism & Wilderness

The current experience shows that

selling new wilderness destinations is

only possible if

there is a proper destination

management

Tourism is a very competitive market, which

suffers from the current financial crisis.

However good packages can still be sold.

Tourism & Wilderness

Most important lessons learned

•marketing through social media (mouth

marketing)

•engaging clients

•offer a special trip

•sustainability across the product cycle

•pricing

Tourism & Wilderness

Why should anyone travel that far?The activities dilemmaThe specialty challenge

© Eki Ollila

Case study - Oulanka National Park

• Finnish Wilderness Week package

• sold by Exodus (UK) – developed by

Basecamp Oulanka (FI)

• contribution to PPF after each client

• 23,000 € raised in 4 years

• local project supported in 4 PAN

Parkso visitor centre – Retezat NP o eco-trail – Rila NP o information boards –Borjomi NPo photo documentary project –

Majella NP

Oulanka NP © Hannu Hautala

The PAN Parks Tourism Model

Memorable experience

PAN Parks works to protect Europe’swilderness, the continent’s mostundisturbed areas of nature

www.panparks.org