Safari field guides’ work and careers in South Africa: Insights from Pilanesberg Game Reserve

Abstract

Field guides are the face of South African nature- and wildlife-based tourism products. However, research on the work and careers of field guides in South Africa is lacking. To our knowledge, only two studies have researched field guides in other African countries. Therefore, the aim of this research is to delve deeper into the field guide work and career. Indeed, the management literature includes countless studies on how work characteristics and career motivations influence the performance of (service) employees. It is therefore crucial for the literature on South African nature-based tourism to begin to include research on field guides, as their performance is central to the largest sector contributing to South African tourism revenues. This exploratory study includes 24 in-depth interviews with field guides working in the Pilanesberg Game Reserve in South Africa. Conservation implications: he study makes two key contributions: Firstly, as a contribution to the literature, we advance scholarship on tourism labour and precarity by offering an empirically grounded account of field guide career trajectories within the South African nature-based tourism industry. Secondly, a managerial contribution. This includes: (1) Organisations should formalise and improve communication on entry pathways for field guides by providing clear, accessible information on training routes, requirements, and points of contact. (2) Lodges and other operators could benefit from rebranding field guides as a high-status group. (3) To elevate safari guide training beyond short courses towards a more comprehensive and accredited qualification.

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