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8.3 The permit system, conditions and incentives
In order to capitalise fully on South Africa’s exceptional marine ecotourism resources, there needs to
be a major reconsideration of the way in which the permit system operates. The years that boatbased
whale watching has been managed as an “experimental fishery” have yielded some important
lessons. The most important of these are that the rights provided by the permits have to be long-term
rights, preferably permanent, with conditions attached. This is the only way in which to secure
investment in high quality equipment needed to add value to the whale watching experience, such as
custom made vessels of the right capacity, as well as the investment required for marketing, both by
operators and, through subscriptions, by SABBWWA. This is in addition to the important marketing
injection that needs to be made by SATOUR (not MCM) and other regional bodies, as a worthy
investment that will secure economic returns for the country.
Issuing of long term rights will obviate the problems associated with the short-duration permits which
are currently held by operators. Short-duration permits hamper the potential development of boatbased
whale watching businesses, mainly due to impacts on marketing. A minimum time of two to
three years is required for visible returns on any marketing strategy aimed at attracting foreign or
regional clients, the main support base of boat-based whale watching at this stage. This includes
planning and production of marketing approaches; visiting various trade shows and fora to present
materials; allowing time for materials to be made available at points of sale, e.g. tourist offices and
operators overseas; and time for potential visitors to become aware of materials and finally book
holidays.
Issuing of long-term rights will also solve the past problems of delays in permit issue. It is vital that
permits are issued timeously. The late arrival of permits hampers marketing efforts and leads to loss
of revenue by delaying the start of operations. This is a critical issue which has a direct bearing on
the current and future potential economic value of the industry. Errors on permits and failure to
provide log books also impact on the efficient operation of the industry.
There is some controversy over whether permit holders should be allowed to operate more than one
boat. Operators in areas where beach launching is necessary are limited to a boat capacity of 12,
unless they use a system of ferrying passengers to a larger whale watching boat and transfer the
passengers at sea. Some operators, especially in those areas where customers had to be turned
away at times due to lack of capacity, felt that it would be better to allow operators in beach-launching
areas to have more than one licensed boat. There was no evidence that small boat size made
operations unviable, however, and there are serious concerns around the way in which the use of two
boats would affect the whales. The use of changeovers that is seen on the Garden Route represents
a resourceful way of maximising total passenger capacity per day in an area where launch conditions
restrict the maximum capacity of boats used. This model could have benefits for other areas, such as
KwaZulu-Natal.
It is envisaged that the permit system can simultaneously be used as an incentive system to maintain
high turnover and standards of service. While standards of service are vital to the industry’s gaining a
significant slice of the global market, there are reports of some operators providing a less than
satisfactory experience. Reports of bad service, especially by permitted operators, that make it into
travel guides can have enormous repercussions for the industry as a whole, and swing visitors from
one destination to another. We propose that the permit holders pay an annual fee to hold the permit,
and are subjected to annual inspections of service quality and activity levels. As long as set
requirements are met, the permit continues to be valid. Failure in any of these regards would result in
a warning period followed by termination of the right. Such a system would keep operators ‘on their
toes’, and would obviate the need for permit renewal (which would be time consuming, costly and
lead to delays). Importantly, it would also provide potential new operators to take up permits as soon
as former permit holders withdraw from their activities, unlike the present situation, where the area
remains unused until the permit duration has lapsed. SABBWWA needs to ensure that training
courses are of a high standard, and it would be in the interest of the industry to provide assistance to
operators in receiving training. This is essential to maintaining service standards.
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