Much previous research on tourist travel motivation focused on general travel motivation, with little focus on specific motivation factors driving nature-based tourism (including protected areas), especially in developing countries. Based on the reported relationship between visit expectations and satisfaction, this study assessed push and pull travel motivation factors in protected areas and their statistical relationships to visit satisfaction. A questionnaire survey was used to collect data from a simple-randomly selected 435 tourists within Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park in KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. The study employed a composite-based structural equation modelling involving a multivariate analytical technique implemented on WarpPLS software version 7.0. The findings confirmed relationships between visitation satisfaction and key push and pull travel motivation sub-factors. A deeper interpretation of results shows that visitors to protected areas are more ‘ecotourists’ than ‘nature tourists’. Protected Areas should not only concentrate on promoting nature (conservation, game drives and nature education). Based on this study’s findings, recommendations were made to park management regarding the marketing and promotion of park visits and enhancing visitor satisfaction.
Mzimela et al. (2026) studied this question.