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100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
84% 86%
Agulhas
Coast
Cape Metro
91%
Garden
Route
79%
Sunshine
Coast
87%
Maputaland
Figure 5.17. Percentage of boat-based whale watching passengers that are foreign, based on logbook data for
2004.
The important point to note is that for the industry to have a really significant impact, boat-based
whale watching has to become a sufficiently significant component in the variety of attractions offered
by the country to swing tourists’ decisions about where to go on vacation. Thus boat-based whale
watching in South Africa needs to be highly competitive on a global scale.
In addition to the broader economic impacts, boat-based whale watching may have positive impacts
at a local scale. Employment generated is discussed below. In addition, three of the current permit
holders in the Agulhas region were explicitly involved in some form of community development or
upliftment, with varying success. One operator was involved in community development projects
which involved the education and use of local community members in producing small curios and
articles which were bought up by the operator for use in his operation. The level of investment in
these activities and its overall effect and potential success could not be estimated during the period of
study but would represent an example of “knock-on” effects associated with boat-based whale
watching in an otherwise underrated tourism venue. Another permit holder was utilising boat-based
whale watching as a source of income for further investment in various community-linked projects and
schemes. The success of these was also difficult to determine but again supports the importance of
boat-based whale watching as a source of development in the region.
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