Opening Slide

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Opening Slide

• The Growth of Whale and Dolphin Watching Tourism
  in Oceania

Economists at Large Associates www.ecolarge.com
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Report Overview

• Study undertaken in 2006
• Covered 21 countries and territories
• Aimed to define size, value growth of whale
  watching (WW) industry in Pacific
•  

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Tourism Growth

• Average growth in whale watching between
  1998-2005
• Australian whale watching 15
• New Zealand whale watching 11
• Pacific Islands Region 45 av. annual growth
• By comparison
• Tourism growth in the South Pacific region in
  2003 and 2004 averaged 8 per annum1.
• Tourism growth in Australia 1998 - 2003 2.762

• SPTO figures
• Tourism Forecasting Council Australia

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Tourism Growth
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Major Results - Pacific Islands

• Significant take off in the region
• Of total visitors to SPTO countries (1.18
  million in 2004), approx. 2 undertake WW
  activities
• Each humpback whale in Tongas waters brings in
  T30,000 in earnings each year, or approx.
  US1million during its lifetime1

• 3. Mark Orams 1998

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Pacific Islands Australia NZ

• sdd

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Global Industry ?

• Estimated by Erich Hoyt in 1998 IFAW Report
• gtUSD 1 billion
• 9 million tourist participants
• 87 countries
• 2007? Unknown.
• Crude forecasts based on growth of 10 (from
  1998)
• 21 million tourists
• USD 2.4 billion
• Remains significant growth opportunities

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Whale watch country presence - 1998
Guam
FSM
Sol. Is
French Poly
Fiji
Niue
Tonga
New Cal.
Australia
New Zealand

• Map source www.sprep.org

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Whale watch country presence - 2005
Nth Mariana Is.
Guam
Palau
FSM
PNG
Sol. Is
French Poly
Samoa
Amer. Samoa
Fiji
Niue
Tonga
New Cal.
Cook Is.
Australia
New Zealand

• Map source www.sprep.org

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Whale Watch Tourism

• Remains very informal industry in most of the
  region - significant proportion of
  opportunistic whale watchers - developing on
  the back of dive, fishing or yacht charters
• Some well established industries
• Tonga, Guam, French Polynesia, New Caledonia,
  Australia, New Zealand
• Industry dependent on
• Presence of cetaceans - accessible and reliable
• Inbound international tourists - accessibility
  issues
• Marine tourism operators - boats!

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Whale Watch Tourism growth
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Key findings

• Strong cetacean population growth in tourism
  gt growing whale watch industry
• BUT requires whale protection and industry
  management - still gaps in WW regulations
• Gaps in knowledge of species and abundance in
  many countries
• Risk of high pressure on low populations in some
  regions and potential for impacts on the animals
• Responsible whale watching integral -
• sensitive whale populations sensitive tourists

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Key recommendations

• Development of region wide national whale
  watching guidelines including provisions for
  regulations, licensing enforcement
• Increased WW gt increased responsibility to
  protect whales
• Improved understanding of cetacean populations
  required - greater certainty to access to viewing
  opportunities.
• Good opportunities provided by
• SPREP Whale and Dolphin Action Plan
• CMS MOU Conservation of Cetaceans and their
  Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region

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Recommendations / issues for consideration

• Establish best practice framework
• Model of lessons learned/lessons for development
  of whale and dolphin watching industry.
• Assessment of effectiveness of existing
  guidelines / regulations
• Licensing schemes to manage vessels
• Capacity building required - e.g. operator
  training and accreditation programs
• Local plans of management in areas of
  high use or where there are
  sensitive/ endangered
  populations

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Recommendations / issues for consideration

• More research into regional abundance levels to
  establish appropriate carrying capacity
• Review the sustainability of specific operations
  in areas where populations may be under pressure
  e.g. dolphins in Guam
• Further study to assess impacts of
• specific activities, eg swim-with.
• Conservation of whales in
  international waters is essential

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IFAWs work in the region

• IFAW has a commitment to responsible whale
  watching
• Working across the region
• Assisting to draft and implement the SPREP Whale
  Dolphin Action Plan
• Supporting a Marine Awareness Centre in Tonga
• Providing operator training
• Supporting the whale watch industry
• Drafting whale watching guidelines
• Working closely with Governments
  intergovernmental bodies
• Producing and disseminating whale identification
  guides
• Funding non-lethal research

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IFAWs work in the region
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Thank you