Avitourism and guide training

Birding Tourism and Community Bird Guide Training

BirdLife South Africa recognises that a powerful way to promote bird conservation is to promote the enjoyment of birding. The creation of an Avitourism Division paved the way for a lot more than good birding. It created the opportunity to engage local communities with birds and birding, by training individuals from these communities to act as local guides, and providing infrastructure and support to fledgling guiding businesses. The model has been a success. By developing a network of Birding Routes through South Africa's best birding areas, each route has provided the mentoring and capacity-building within a manageable area, and with a reasonable subset of birds and birding destinations, for guides to learn their trade. There are other spin-off benefits such as encouraging responsible ecotourism and promoting South Africa as a prime tourism and birding destination.

The Avitourism Division promotes conservation through birding by developing a network of Birding Routes through South Africa as a product which will focus on:

• Creating opportunities for local communities to become involved in the tourism industry.
• Providing resources and information to birders.
• The development of partnerships along these routes in order to act as a support structure for conservation action, local guides and accredited tourism products.
• Creating partnerships with local stakeholders to provide unique birding experiences.
• Training and developing local guides who will operate along the routes with a focus on developing skills and business opportunities for communities along the routes.
• The provision of a professional travel service to users of the routes.
• Marketing avitourism in South Africa nationally and internationally for the benefit of all stakeholders.
• Ensuring that products used and promoted are socially, environmentally and economically responsible.

As a member of The International Ecotourism Society, BLSA is committed to developing tourism which:

• minimises impact
• builds environmental and cultural awareness and respect
• provides positive experiences for both visitors and hosts
• provides direct financial benefits for conservation
• provides financial benefits and empowerment for local people
• raises sensitivity to host countries' political, environmental, and social climates

These principles form the foundation of our work.

For more information, please contact Martin Taylor, Avitourism Division Manager on +27(0)72 277 7254 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it