Finally the article provides evidence that meaningful visits can
occur within comparatively short periods of time for tourists. As
noted most visits are of comparatively short duration, yet nonetheless
the tourists responded very positively to what they had seen. In part,
this is because the sight, especially in the mornings, is far removed
from everyday realities of life—it is not often that one can see several
hundred flamingos close by. The study certainly gives credence to the
views of Curtin (2005) and Schanzel and McIntosh (2000) that proximity
is a key determinant of satisfaction in wildlife tourism.
As in any piece of research the findings are subject to caveats. By
the standards of many empirical datasets the samples are small, and
by the standards of much qualitative studies the mode of collecting
data is limited in terms of the data being based upon written
responses by visitors to the Fantir hide. Yet visitors did want to add
to their written comments in discussion with the researchers and
what has emerged is a conformity of views that indicated that the
psychological insights of Kelly (1963) do represent a potentially rich
way of assessing tourist experiences. On the one hand the findings
seem almost trite – of course an opportunity to see hundreds of flamingos
with easy travel time of shopping malls and hotels is a source