This chapter addresses the advantages and disadvantages of wildlife tourism to various types of tourist stakeholders. Wildlife tourism involves a variety of important stakeholders, including local people, private tourism businesses, and the government, among others. The stakeholders benefit from wildlife tourism socially, economically, and environmentally. Apart from revenue generation and promotion of biodiversity conservation, wildlife tourism raises also several issues about a fair distribution of benefits among its players, resource management in the protected areas, and sustainability. In certain instances, balancing between ecological integrity and the rise of wildlife tourism becomes challenging owing to the incapability of sticking with the moral norms and principles of sustainability. Wildlife tourism is an essential economic sector, sustaining the local economy and encouraging conservation initiatives in the host countries. The success of wildlife tourism hinges on its ability to meet the interests of all stakeholders without damaging the biological integrity of protected areas. Involvement of all wildlife tourism stakeholders from local, regional, national, and international perspectives may enhance the execution and advantageous effects of wildlife tourism. An effectively implemented wildlife tourism delivers various benefits to its stakeholders, including the potential for employment, the creation of social infrastructure and superstructures, and the conservation of protected areas and keystone species. However, unregulated wildlife tourism may become socioeconomically, culturally, and ecologically compromising, as it could lead to poaching incidents, commercialization of culture, and increased poverty by turning residents of local communities into beggars. Conservation agencies, tourism enterprises, and government entities must collaborate by working together to minimize the detrimental effects of wildlife tourism. Maximization of societal, cultural, and financial implications of wildlife tourism might increase the viability of wildlife tourism. The effective and transparent management of the funds accrued from wildlife tourism could motivate and maximize community involvement, facilitate the implementation of conservation measures in the protected areas, and facilitate law enforcement and research for preserving endangered species.
