Abstract:
In Kenya, previous studies have focused more on the relationship
between management and branding of wildlife parks, ignoring factors like
competing strategies and other study variables that could be important, global
research has focused on wildlife-based tourism and ecosystems. The AmboseliTsavo Ecosystem under investigation has the greatest coverage of protected
areas for wildlife protection in Kenya, but despite the potential for socioeconomic contribution, its performance is still below the optimum level due to
the low number of tourists hence revenue. The primary objective of the study
was to assess the role of affective destination brand image on the attractiveness
of wildlife parks in the Amboseli- Tsavo Ecosystem. Simple random sampling
was employed to select the sample of 440 park visitors and 28 tourism experts.
Data collected was analyzed through descriptive statistics while multi linear
regression analysis was conducted to verify the constructs underlying adopted
scales. The outcome revealed a significant positive relationship was established
between affective destination image and park attractiveness (β = 0.653, t =
12.792, p = .000). The results establish how relevant the affective destination
brand image is to enhancing attractiveness of the wildlife parks. Findings of this
study might be essential to policymakers on matters related to developing and
marketing wildlife parks in Kenya.
Keywords- Wildlife conservation, branded parks, tourism destination,
Wildlife attractions
