Experiences and enjoyment of national parks: A pilot study of domestic tourists at Mikumi National Park in Tanzania

Abstract

National parks are protected areas that have provided various experiences for both domestic and international tourists. Countries around the world are re-opening tourism after the Corona virus (COVID-19) global pandemic and therefore, managing tourism is crucial particularly in the area concerning enjoyment of national parks. Tanzania is endowed with many national parks and this study was motivated to explore enjoyment of national parks. The main objective involved exploring experiences and enjoyment of national parks with a pilot study of tourists at Mikumi National Park and specifically, analysing indirect experiences and enjoyment of national parks. The study area is Mikumi National Park in Tanzania while the unit of analysis was domestic tourists. This cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach had a pilot study sample of 50 domestic tourists. Tools of analysis used are descriptive statistics and Partial Least Square Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings revealed a significant relationship between indirect experiences and enjoyment of national parks among domestic tourists (p=0.000). Hence, the implication of this study is for tourism stakeholders to consider these results as a guide on domestic tourists' experiences and enjoyment of national parks. Future research can use a larger sample size within Mikumi National Park as well as apply quantitative and qualitative methods to enrich the understanding of domestic tourists' experiences and enjoyment of national parks.