Wildlife hunting tourism market

The global wildlife hunting tourism market was valued at US$ 369.6 Mn in 2022 and is expected to reach US$ 1,775.7 Mn by 2030, exhibiting a CAGR of 21.7% during the forecast period. Wildlife hunting tourism has been one of the most controversial topics across the globe, owing to rising wildlife conservation and environmental strategies. Currently, hunting tourism is considered one of the complimentary activities for nature tourism companies. Hunting is considered a sport or leisure activity in most of the European countries in the Nordic region.

Market Drivers:

Growing Popularity of Trophy Hunting

• Trophy hunting is defined as the killing of wild animals for the purpose of displaying their body parts, such as the head, rather than for food. Trophies include parts such as elephant ivory tusks, rhino horns, and deer antlers, among others, that can be mounted on walls or complete bodies that can be formed into life-like poses by a taxidermist.
• According to Humane Society International (HSI), hunters glamorize the killing of an animal to demonstrate virility, prowess, and dominance, which motivates hunters to go trophy hunting. HSI promotes animal-free testing and research, respond to natural disaster, and confronts cruelty to animals in all of its forms. North Americans are among the largest wildlife hunters and contribute significantly to the trophy hunting industry. This demonstrates that Americans have a disproportionate influence over the number of hunting trophies traded globally. Hence, the rising number of imported game hunting trophies in the region is expected to drive market growth over the forecast period.
• For instance, a U.S.-based Safari Club International (the world’s largest trophy hunting organization with more than 50,000 members) gives hunting awards in dozens of categories, including the Africa Big Five, for which a hunter must kill an African lion, an African elephant, an African leopard, an African rhino, and an African buffalo. A hunter must kill over 300 animals across the globe to win the highest SCI award, known as ‘World Hunter of the Year.’ Another type of competition is to kill the highest-scoring animals. Trophy hunting clubs record kills that meet certain standards, and these standards are used to establish a score for each trophy. Trophy hunters often kill more than one animal of a certain species to achieve a higher score. The competitions and record book scores encourage trophy hunters to kill more animals. These factors are expected to drive the global wildlife hunting tourism market growth over the forecast period.

Figure 1. Global Wildlife Hunting Tourism Market Revenue Share (%), By Region, 2022

Among regions, North America held a dominant position in the global wildlife hunting tourism market in 2022, accounting for a 30% market share in terms of revenue, followed by Africa and Europe.

Market Restraints

Wildlife hunting destroys animal families and habitats

• Wildlife hunting destroys animal families and habitats, leaving terrified and reliant baby animals to starve to death and damaging natural ecosystems, which is expected to hamper market growth of the global wildlife hunting tourism over the forecast period. In March 2021, a representative study revealed that 81% of the respondents in five European Union member states (Germany, Italy, Denmark, Spain, and Poland) oppose trophy hunting. Also, 81% of the respondents condemned trophy hunting imports from other countries and believed that these should not be legal. Nearly 90% of German, 88% of Italian, and 84% of Spanish respondents support an import ban on dead animal trophies in their countries. In 2020, 91% of Belgians supported the prohibition of the import of all hunting trophies. Similarly, 89% of French citizens were in favor of banning the import of hunting trophies when asked in 2017.
• There are various wildlife welfare organizations, such as the Born Free Foundation (BFF) and Humane Society International (HIS), among others, that are creating awareness about wildlife conservation and discouraging people from wildlife hunting. Furthermore, BFF and HSI pressure on governments in the US to prohibit wildlife hunting. Over the forecast period, these factors are expected to limit growth of the wildlife hunting tourism market.

Market Trends

Sustainable use of nature is an effective way to protect and manage of natural resources and biological diversity

• Sustainable use of nature is an effective way to protect and manage of natural resources and biological diversity. According to several academics, Sustainable wildlife tourism can provide socioeconomic and environmental benefits, such as satisfying tourists and creating jobs for locals. Sustainable wildlife hunting tourism is a way to maintain and promote biodiversity. Sustainable hunting can lead to the preservation of wild animals, even endangered or threatened species. WWF South Africa (World Wide Fund for Nature) considers hunting a legitimate conservation management tool and incentive for conservation and regularly engages with major game hunting associations to promote ethical hunting and combat inhumane practices. In South Africa, sustainable hunting has been vital in promoting the recovery of bontebok, black wildebeest, cape mountain zebra, and white rhino by encouraging reintroductions onto game ranches.

Figure 2. Global Wildlife Hunting Tourism Market Revenue Share (%), By Type, 2022

• The big game trophy segment held a dominant position in the global wildlife hunting tourism market in 2022, accounting for 58% market share in terms of revenue. The big game trophy has been noted to be one of the costliest game trophies in the global wildlife hunting tourism market. It generally involves game ranching, big game, safari, and indigenous hunting. Wildlife safari hunting has been known to hold a significant share in the big trophy segment and has been estimated to rise in the coming years.  For instance, in May 2021, the South African government announced it would to ban captive lion breeding. The government further announced that it would end the commercial sale of all lion derivatives that include hunting trophies.

Global Wildlife Hunting Tourism Market - Impact of Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic

• In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic. The pandemic has wreaked havoc on various sectors, including the global tourism sector, which has been impacted by travel restrictions. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), between January and May 2020, 100% of global destinations imposed travel restrictions, and 45% totally or partially closed their borders for tourists. International tourist arrivals decreased by 65% in the first half of 2020, and in June 2020, arrivals were down by 93% globally when compared to 2019. According to the same source, Africa witnessed an overall decline of 56% in international tourism by the end of June 2020 and by 99% in April, May, and June 2020.
• Travel restrictions have led to a decline in revenue used for conservation finance, the salaries of tourism employees, and entrepreneurs and small businesses that provide products and services within the tourism value chain.

*Definition: Wildlife hunting tourism has been one of the most controversial topics across the globe, owing to the rising wildlife conservations and environmental strategies. Currently, hunting tourism is considered as one of the complimentary activities for nature tourism companies

Wildlife Hunting Tourism Market Detailed Segmentation:

• By Type:
  • Big Game Trophy
  • Small Game Trophy
  • Skill Hunting
• By Species type:
  • Ungulates
  • Rodents
  • Birds
  • Carnivores
  • Others
• By Contribution:
  • Transportation
  • Accommodation
  • Food & Dining
  • Equipment
  • Others
• By Region:
  • North America
  • Europe
  • Asia Pacific
  • Latin America
  • Middle East
  • Africa