On the shoulders of lemurs: pinpointing the ecotouristic potential of Madagascar's unique herpetofauna

Abstract

Based on 667 tourist interviews in five protected areas (PAs), carried out between January and September 2008, we assessed the ecotouristic potential of Madagascar's amphibians and reptiles compared with that of other components of its unique fauna. Visitors were best informed about mammals and reptiles, and information levels increased with subsequent visits to Madagascar. In contrast, tourists were not well informed about amphibian diversity. However, 27% of the tourists considered encounters with the Malagasy herpetofauna as a factor for deciding to visit the island, and tourists with high zoological interest were willing to pay higher prices for specialised biodiversity tours in PAs and were positive about increased supply in herpetofauna-related activities. Tourists' income affected travel expenditure, trip length and spending behaviour; a higher total trip budget resulted in a higher number of sites visited, but not in an increased number of PAs visited. We estimated that expenditures in Madagascar by ecotourists who visit PAs amounts to 26-29 million USD per year. Currently, only one-quarter of all Madagascar's leisure tourists visit parks (around 49,000), highlighting the importance of improving and diversifying ecotouristic supplies to attract more tourists to Madagascar's nature reserves. © 2011 Taylor & Francis.