A recent study showed that over 80% of tourists would be prepared to pay a ‘lion protection fee’ to help stop trophy hunting in South Africa.

An independent source of news and views from the academic and research community in Africa, The Conversation, recently conducted the study to establish whether visitors to South Africa would be willing to pay the fee at border entry points.

It would be to compensate for any lost revenue from trophy hunting were it banned.

The study was conducted among 907 people who were visiting, or planned to visit the country from key regional and international source markets. Of the respondents, 84.2% stated that being charged a ‘lion protection fee’ was a “great” or a “good” idea. A minority (7.5%) had a negative view. Only two respondents (0.2%) indicated a pro-trophy hunting attitude.

Based on two scenarios (outlined below), the amount respondents were willing to pay could generate enough funds to equal, if not exceed, those currently generated by trophy hunting in South Africa.

In the first scenario, overseas visitors would pay between US$6 and US$7 every day they are in the country for a maximum of six days. Southern African tourists would pay between US$3 and US$4. The study calculated the fees based on the number of tourist arrivals per annum – around 2.6 million overseas visitors and 12.3 million southern African tourists – according to figures provided by Statistics South Africa.

In the second scenario, fees would be collected as a one-off departure tax of US$6 for all foreign visitors leaving by land or sea, and US$33 for air passengers. The calculations were based on around 10.5 million foreign visitors leaving by land, 70 000 leaving by sea, and 3.4 million flying out.

The calculations showed that in both scenarios, enough funds could be generated to equal, but potentially exceed, the US$176.1 million currently generated by trophy hunting of all the iconic species in South Africa a year. These calculations are based on the numbers of visitors from different traveller categories multiplied by the median number of days spent in the country.

Based on the number of respondents who said they would not visit because of the fees, the study showed there would be a 15% decrease in the number of tourists willing to visit South Africa. Although, the study argues that these decreases could be partially compensated for by increased visits from travellers previously deterred by trophy hunting – 13% of those who did not wish to travel to South Africa cited trophy hunting as a reason.

Study further supported

A 2021 survey by the European Union citizens backs up the study’s findings, showing that 84% of 10 687 respondents were either “somewhat” or “strongly opposed” to “the trophy hunting of wild animals found in Africa”.

“Our findings could pave the way for a responsible transition away from trophy hunting without unintended repercussions for wildlife and the communities that rely on them. The practical implementation would need diligent deliberation. For example, administrative logistics and sensitivity to visitor numbers fluctuations must be considered.

“In addition, while the idea of channelling these funds towards landowners and communities for wildlife conservation holds promise, there are concerns about public trust in institutions. Such funds must be carefully managed,” the study's authors said.

The types of tourism taxes the study proposes are not new, as 22 countries around the world currently charge a tax on tourists to preserve their natural and cultural heritage.

Tourism Update invites the industry to vote on this in our latest poll.

Draft Policy Position open for public comment

The South African Government’s draft Policy Position on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Elephant, Lion, Leopard and Rhinoceros is currently open for public comment and the deadline has been extended until November 20, an official from the government informed Tourism Update.

The draft Policy Position focuses on correcting unsustainable practices, promoting conservation and sustainable use of the five species, and providing policy direction for international commercial trade.

One of the objectives of the draft Policy Position is to end the captive keeping of lions for commercial purposes and close captive lion facilities, and to halt the intensive breeding of lions in controlled environments.

Those interested in commenting can click here to access to draft Policy Position.