Avitourism

Birdwatching tourism or "avitourism" is on the rise. This tourism niché is full of dedicated nature enthusiats with a particular interest in birds. Birdwatchers will travel far and wide to experience unique nature. In fact Birdlife International estimates that 7 million birdwatchers travel internationally every year to birding destinations! Learn more about avitourism and developing a birding destination in this article

An introduction to the world of Avitourism

As the world becomes smaller and more accessible, travel is easier and cheaper. Keen birders have always found ways to connect and share information. It lies in the essence of birding itself; you can only discover more when you have a grasp of the present knowledge. Birding is for the curious minded, the tourist who when travelling, will not consider themselves a tourist, but rather to be simply pursuing their passion, wherever it takes them. The fascinating thing with birding is that there is always more to explore. 

When dedicated people meet a culture and a common understanding is developed, connections are made in an instant. Catering to birders can be a tricky business if you don´t understand the culture. A birder can travel to a new country and a new culture, but once they meet with a local birder chances are they will instantly connect. Birding is a worldwide culture, complete with its “language”, ideals, morals, websites, businesses and so much more. This article aims to give the reader a better understanding of birding in general, and how it relates to tourism worldwide.

“Birding is hunting without killing, preying without punishing and collecting without clogging your home” - Mark Obmascik*1

The sheer joy of birdwatching (or birding) can be hard to explain to those who do not pursue it. In its simplest form, it is a celebration of nature. For many, it is the complete unpredictability of birding that makes it attractive. You can go out with a basic idea of what birds you might see, but you will almost certainly come back having witnessed something you did not expect to. You may chance upon an unusual bird species for the area, a familiar bird wearing an unusual plumage or exhibiting behaviour you have not seen before. Yes, the swallows leave in the autumn and return in the spring but year-to-year their arrival and departure dates will differ. They may have a good breeding season or completely fail. 

For some, birding is all about little discoveries: what is the date of your earliest Swift back from Africa for the summer? What is the biggest Oystercatcher flock recorded on the local beach? How close do Sparrowhawk breed to your house? For others it´s an expression of their primal hunting instinct: stalking the bird, using fieldcraft to make themselves near invisible, then (rather than killing the bird) achieving that perfect view or dream photo. For others it is the chase of rare and unusual species. Everyone considering themselves as birders or birdwatchers have an admiration for nature and a desire to see more, to understand more and to experience more. Birding is both connectedness and exploration.

When we use the term “hobby” to describe birding, it is selling short the community of people who make learning about the identification, movements and behaviour of birds their life. Perhaps “counter-culture” or “tribe” is a more appropriate term. Better still: it is a lifestyle. Birding for many is a passion that extends far beyond hobby or pastime.

Worldwide birding is so large; it really does have its own culture. Many will describe it like being in one giant friendly club. It is quite normal to turn to a stranger next to you in the bird hide and strike up a pleasant conversation. “Anything good?” or “is it showing?” are universally understood questions within the birding community. Binoculars or a telescope are like ID badges, identifying yourself to other birders.

A 2011 study in the United States found there to be 47 million Americans who identified themselves as “birdwatchers”. To be counted as a birder in this study, an individual must have either “1) taken a trip one mile or more from home for the primary purpose of observing birds or 2) closely observed or tried to identify birds around the home”. 18 million (38%) fell into the first category, arguably the more “birder-ish” of the criteria. The figure is likely to be higher, since teenagers under 16 were not counted and the survey did not reach every citizen (Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2013). 18 million was the figure of birders that were estimated to travel away from home within the U.S at least once annually.

In the UK, birding is a seriously popular pastime, or rather lifestyle. Within the UK, a national survey of 36,000 people in the UK April 2014 - March 2015 found 7.8 million people to have “an interest” in bird watching, 3.7 million said they went birdwatching occasionally and 1.9 million go birdwatching regularly (Sleight, A., Bird Watching Magazine, pers. comms., 2015)

It is rather hard to give a very accurate estimate of the number of birders in a country, as it varies a lot how formally the birding communities are organised. In the UK the number of people who support charities is high, and who consider themselves either to be birders, birdwatchers or keen nature enthusiasts. Most famous in the birding world is the RSPB or the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. The RSPB has over 1300 employees, 18 000 volunteers and more than 1.1 million members (including 195 000 youth members), making it the largest wildlife conservation charity in Europe. The RSPB has many local groups and maintains 200 nature reserves.

In membership terms the RPSB is closely followed by The Wildlife Trusts, an organisation made up of 47 local Wildlife Trusts in the United Kingdom. The Wildlife Trusts, between them, look after around 2300 nature reserves covering more than 90 000 hectares. As of 2011 they have a combined membership of over 800 000 members. However many of these members are not necessarily dedicated birders. Many will be of the “lighter” category of birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts.