Mindfulness in cultural and wildlife tourism in Southern Africa

Abstract

The objectives of this article were to explore the mindfulness of tourists visiting cultural and wildlife attractions and to establish the role of on-site interpretation in stimulating mindfulness. This was a qualitative study that used grounded theory methodology and reflexivity as an interpretive and critical mode of enquiry. The study was informed by focus group discussions, semi-structured interviews with group members, participant observations and a detailed daily journal recording of the critical instances of 100 tourists visiting cultural and wildlife tourism attractions in two southern African countries over a three-year period. Well-developed on-site interpretation resulted in tourist's mindfulness in both wildlife and cultural settings visited within South Africa. However, on-site interpretation was lacking for Lesotho, resulting in mindlessness among the tourists. A change of mindset is required for on-site interpretation in Lesotho. Qualified and trained tour guides should be at the forefront of interpretation of cultural encounters in Lesotho, to enable cultural tourism to become a meaningful economic driver.