On the subject of birding tour costs

By janine echidna, on December 16th, 2014

Hi B-aus I write, partly in response to a recent email mentioning the cost of birding tours, and partly as a general topic. Bird tour operators in Australia are generally experts in their field, with many years of experience under their belts. They often run tours with a very small number of participants, sometimes even private tours, at costs that barely cover their expenses, let alone their time. They do this because the market simply doesn’t pay. As a result, many burn out after years of doing what they love. Others find creative ways of maintaining their tour business, which sometimes means small windows of availability, or slow replies to enquiries. We end up losing our best people from the industry. This is an industry that should be able to employ people, contribute to local economies, and invest in protecting the birds we all love. The answer to this problem is for us to modify our view on what a bird tour is worth. Is a day with a great birder worth the same as an engineers time? Or a lawyer’s? Doctor’s? Manager’s? As a long term tour operator (wildlife, not bird specific) I known the costs. I know that most small, genuine tour operators in Australia are excellent but under-valued and under-paid. A good bird tour operator gives you something that no lawyer, engineer or manager can give you. That feeling of wonder, excitement, thrill at seeing a wild creature you’ve never seen before. Do you remember that for the rest of your life? Is that worth paying that guide a decent living wage? I think it is. Janine Sent from my Motorola RAZR™ M on the Telstra Next G™ Network

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davidtorr

December 17, 2014 at 8:22 am

A tough dilemma! Let us not lose sight of the fact that the post which triggered this debate (I guess) was one from an Indian complaining about the prices of our guides. If you trawl the net you will see that a “typical” $300 per day cost (the mid-point of the range Janine quoted) is probably between a week’s and a month’s average wage in India! Whereas for us it is much closer to an average daily wage. (Yes – I know you can prove anything with statistics!) On 17 December 2014 at 09:06, Alan Gillanders < alan@alanswildlifetours.com.au> wrote:

Alan Gillanders

December 17, 2014 at 8:06 am

Greetings, I sometimes feel guilty that I charge so little as that generally depresses prices, making it impossible for bright young birders to enter the industry as they will not be able to make a living. At other times I feel bad that people cannot afford to take my tours. Regards, Alan Alan’s Wildlife Tours 2 Mather Road Yungaburra 4884 Phone 07 4095 3784 Mobile 0408 953 786 http://www.alanswildlifetours.com.au/

December 16, 2014 at 8:35 pm

Janine I was just making the point that most Aussie things are expensive – not just bird tours. Holidays in the UK and USA in the last couple of years have been much cheaper per day than equivalents on Aus. But of course recent changes in exchange rates will make us look cheaper to overseas visitors, and discourage us from going overseas! I cannot argue with you on costs and income, but of course many charge that about that amount per day per person! As I said – I do not regret spending money on the professional guides I have used and wish you all had more business, which would indicate we might get some leverage in showing birds and the environment are worth protecting Dave

bukoba.steve

December 16, 2014 at 4:54 pm

G’day all Another way to look at it is to compare with the cost of other activities. I just jumped onto a concert ticket website and found that someone called Taylor Swift is performing at a large stadium in Melbourne next year. The cheapest ticket is $91 and they range up to $610. The cheapest ticket to the Rugby League State of Origin game at the MCG next year is $60 and they range up to $270. Hiring a guide for a day’s birding in a new place is a luxury. I can’t afford (or am too mean) to use guides often but I paid $US500 for a day on the Lark Plains, northern Tanzania last August and got 29 lifers despite having birded the district fairy thoroughly on my own for 2 weeks. There are some places you will never find on your own. There are important cultural issues (land ownership etc) that you will never figure out in a short visit to a foreign country. There are birds you will miss on your own if you don’t know the calls. Guides can be expensive but the best are worth it. If anyone wants a recommendation for a guide in northern Tanzania get in touch with me. Cheers Steve Clark Hamilton, Vic

mike

December 16, 2014 at 4:22 pm

Hi Janine, Thank you for articulating so nicely the value of professional birding tour. Compared to running tours generally, birding tours are hard work, as you know. To be a tour guide requires training, to be a birding guide requires both training and passion, but the latter can’t be taught. As a guide I feel honoured when people trust me to deliver an experience worth paying for, and very grateful when they provide feedback through trip advisor that they did indeed have their expectations exceeded. Mike Jarvis http://www.experiencethewild.com.au —–Original Message—– Sent: Tuesday, 16 December 2014 3:24 PM Hi B-aus I write, partly in response to a recent email mentioning the cost of birding tours, and partly as a general topic. Bird tour operators in Australia are generally experts in their field, with many years of experience under their belts. They often run tours with a very small number of participants, sometimes even private tours, at costs that barely cover their expenses, let alone their time. They do this because the market simply doesn’t pay. As a result, many burn out after years of doing what they love. Others find creative ways of maintaining their tour business, which sometimes means small windows of availability, or slow replies to enquiries. We end up losing our best people from the industry. This is an industry that should be able to employ people, contribute to local economies, and invest in protecting the birds we all love. The answer to this problem is for us to modify our view on what a bird tour is worth. Is a day with a great birder worth the same as an engineers time? Or a lawyer’s? Doctor’s? Manager’s? As a long term tour operator (wildlife, not bird specific) I known the costs. I know that most small, genuine tour operators in Australia are excellent but under-valued and under-paid. A good bird tour operator gives you something that no lawyer, engineer or manager can give you. That feeling of wonder, excitement, thrill at seeing a wild creature you’ve never seen before. Do you remember that for the rest of your life? Is that worth paying that guide a decent living wage? I think it is. Janine Sent from my Motorola RAZR™ M on the Telstra Next G™ Network

janine echidna

December 16, 2014 at 4:18 pm

Hi Dave You’ve outlined my point precisely. What makes you say Aussie bird tours are expensive? Several of the operators I know are charging $200 – 400 a day depending on number of participants. That includes their costs – vehicle, office, marketing, food sometimes. Most other Aussie professionals are getting paid that every day without any costs. And they have full time work, not the seasonal uncertainty of tour operators. I think comparisons with costs in developing nations have skewed our idea of what it should cost. I’m not having a go, I’m just trying to explore this idea. Thanks for your reply, I appreciate it. Best, Janine Sent from my Motorola RAZR™ M on the Telstra Next G™ Network Dave Torr < davidtorr@gmail.com> wrote:

December 16, 2014 at 3:59 pm

Janine An interesting email – yes Aussie bird tours are expensive but then so are most Aussie holidays (and other things) compared to overseas equivalents for many reasons which have been done to death in many forums! I have certainly been on a number of “professional” Aussie bird tours when I was less experienced and – whilst they were not cheap – I always found they were fantastic. These days I do my own thing in Aus with my mates but if heading overseas I nearly always use a professional guide – in part because I think that if “locals” appreciate that there is money to be made out of “eco tourism” they are much more likely to try to protect what little of the natural environment remains. Dave On 16 December 2014 at 16:54, Janine Duffy < janine@echidnawalkabout.com.au> wrote:

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On the subject of birding tour costs

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