Download PDF (2.5MB) - Anchor Environmental

Overall demand is heavily influenced by marketing and ultimately limited by overall capacity (number
of permits and boat size). There is currently considerable room for improvement within the existing
permit holders. Some permit holders need to increase overall occupancy through marketing and
improvement of service. Others are operating close to capacity in terms of the number of trips and
occupancy per trip, but could benefit from increased passenger capacity. Areas which do not have
permit holders include some which have good to excellent potential. There is potential for more than
doubling turnover within the existing provision for permits without any activity in the areas rated as
poor.
The differences in success of various operators around the country do not necessarily reflect the
existing or future potential of the industry. In many cases the potential simply has not been realised
due to operator limitations. In some cases this has been due to the boat-based whale watching not
being a priority, and in other cases because of circumstances such as lack of wherewithal to initiate a
successful business (see previous chapter). The potential for industry growth exists irrespective of
the failures that the industry has seen up till now.
In addition to the permit holders, there is a considerable amount of non-permitted activity around the
country (see previous chapter), which also gives an indication of demand for boat-based whale
watching. Non-permitted activity appears to be facilitated by the demand created by the existence of
permit holders in an area, especially where the demand created cannot be catered to by the operators
because of limited boat capacity. This situation is typical of popular coastal tourist areas, particularly
KwaZulu-Natal and areas such as Plettenberg Bay and Cape Town. This pattern is likely to increase
as many new areas become increasingly well-subscribed as coastal tourist destinations.
Overall, the extent of activity indicates that boat-based whale watching is an increasingly viable
economic venture in many coastal regions in South Africa, adding significant value to the marine
tourism industry.
Nevertheless, it is clear that the potential for boat-based whale watching varies around the country,
and different strategies may need to be applied in different areas in order to realise the full potential of
the industry in South Africa. Apart from the capability of operators themselves, the potential for boatbased
whale watching depends primarily on the resource and the market. The resource is a given
(provided it is sufficiently protected), but the market is created. As is clearly the case in this industry,
marketing is the secret to unleashing potential, and clever use of complementary activities and
markets can enhance this effect. Given that areas will ultimately compete against one another it is
useful to examine which areas have the advantage in terms of the resource base.
7.3 Marketability of the resource base
Based on discussions with permitted and non-permitted operators and whale expert Dr Ken Findlay,
the most important characteristics of the resource base from a boat-based whale watching
perspective are:
(1) degree of close-range surface activity, particularly by whales, but also by other cetaceans;
(2) variety of all marine species, particularly cetaceans; and
(3) rarity or degree of endemism of cetaceans.
Additional advantages would include general scenery and attractiveness of the marine area and the
base town.
The degree of close-range surface activity is related to species as well as numbers: higher numbers
increase the chances of such sightings, and suitable surface activity is most likely with Southern
Rights, followed by Humpbacks and Brydes Whales. Close-range surface activity (without whales
being on the move) is probably most important for most visitors. Nevertheless, a good number of
whale watching enthusiasts are primarily motivated by sighting new species, and would be attracted
by variety and particularly the presence of rarer species such as Bryde’s Whales. Moreover, whale
watchers are very often interested in cetaceans in general, and many of the latter group would be
equally attracted by views of rare dolphins such as the endemic Heaviside’s Dolphin. Similarly, more
general ecotourists are likely to gain greater value from trips that offer a wider variety of cetacean
species in general, and also from other attractions such as seals and penguins. Thus, from an
61