Memorable wildlife tourism experience: Evidence from the Mole National Park

Sthapit, Erose ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1650-3900, Ji, Chunli, Dayour, Frederick and Badu-Baiden, Frank ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6146-8908 (2024) Memorable wildlife tourism experience: Evidence from the Mole National Park. Journal of Destination Marketing and Management, 33. 100904. ISSN 2212-571X

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Abstract

The goal of this research was to develop and validate an integrative model for memorable wildlife tourism experience. The study examined how escapism, experience co-creation, existential authenticity, and experiential satisfaction serve as drivers of memorable wildlife experience. It further explored the connection between memorable wildlife tourism experience and hedonic well-being, eudaimonic well-being, place attachment and pro-environmental behaviour. The sample consists of 361 international tourists aged 18 years or more who visited the Mole National Park in Ghana between October 2022 and September 2023 for a wildlife safari. Results reveals that as experience co-creation, experiential authenticity, and experiential satisfaction increase, the more memorable wildlife tourism experience becomes. Enhanced experiential satisfaction and memorable experiences are associated with heightened hedonic well-being, eudaimonic well-being, place attachment, and pro-environmental behaviour. The theoretical and managerial implications as well as recommendations for future studies are presented.