Behavioural Intention of the South African Youth Towards Birds, Bird Habitat and Avitourism

South Africa is rich in birdlife, and this needs to be protected for future travellers. Avitourism (birding) is presented as a viable option for enhancing local economic activity, and for the protection and conservation of natural resources. Yet birding habitats are under severe threat. Thus, enthusiasm for birds amongst the youth of South Africa is touted as a means to promote a groundswell of support for preserving bird habitats. As such, it is crucial to encourage support for birds, bird habitats and avitourism within the youth of South Africa. This paper aimed to investigate behavioural intention of the South African youth towards birds, bird habitat and avitourism. This empirical research applied multi-stage sampling to collect primary data by distributing questionnaires at 17 purposively selected secondary schools in Gauteng (South Africa). The data were obtained from n = 5,488 secondary school learners (aged 13–17). Descriptive statistics and an exploratory factor analyses (EFA) were used to analyse the data. The results indicated that, overall, learners showed a moderate to low intention to act pro-environmentally for the sustainability of birds. The research poses clear challenges to professionals and educators within the tourism industry of South Africa to increase learners’ willingness and motivation to act pro-environmentally through dedicated education. This supports the need to introduce an intervention programme to promote behavioural intention and ultimately pro-avi and environmental behaviour among learners.