Whale Watching Worldwide

Acknowledgements:
Thanks to Chen Mei of the Beijing University Panda Conservation Research Centre, Yinzhou Bay White Dolphin Research
Base. Thanks also to various staff at Sanniang Bay Travel Management Company Boat department. Special thanks to
Chen Xin for her translation, research assistance and patience.
China ‐ Hong Kong SAR
Year Number of
whale
watchers
AAGR Number of
operators
Direct
expenditure
Indirect
expenditure
Total
expenditure
1991 None N/A None None None None
1994 1,000 N/A 1 $34,000 $85,000 $119,000
1998 4,500 45.6% 3‐4 $217,000 $542,000 $759,000
2004 135,000 76.3% 30 $1,680,000 $830,000 $2,510,000
2008 81,000 ‐12.0% 26 24 $1,008,000 $498,000 $1,506,000
Capital City: Hong Kong
Whale Watch Locations:
01: Lantau Island
Dolphin watching in Hong Kong has boomed since tours began in
1994. The distinctive pink dolphins swimming in one of the busiest
and most spectacular harbours in the world have attracted
hundreds of thousands of dolphin watchers. Fears that the dolphins
may become extinct in Hong Kong waters have abated and regular
sightings sustain a large industry. However, the number of
unlicensed operators has local conservation organisations
concerned about the sustainability of the industry.
Only one operator is certified as an eco‐tourism operator; this operator runs dedicated dolphin watching
trips three times per week. Other operators are tour and cruise companies that include dolphin watching in
their itineraries. Eight to ten small speedboats operate casually, taking visitors to see dolphins near a small
fishing village on the west side of Lantau Island. Prices vary from around $45 for specialised dolphin
watching trips to $5 for short trips off the smaller islands.
Trips are all focused on Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphins, known locally as Chinese white dolphins. The
dolphins are coloured gray when born, but gradually become pink in colour due to heat exchange in blood
vessels for thermoregulation.
Dolphin watching activity peaked around 2004, when a comprehensive study was carried out (hence data is
included in table above for 2004), and has since declined by perhaps 40%. Researchers are unsure why, but
suggest that in 2004 Hong Kong residents were less likely to travel abroad following the SARS outbreak.
During this time Hong Kongers were still keen to get some fresh air away from the city and the number of
dolphin watching trips and operators escalated accordingly. In recent years, however, locals are again
travelling abroad, while overseas dolphin watchers have not been as numerous as before. Local
conservationists are concerned that as higher quality tours have declined, the only growth in Hong Kong
dolphin watching comes from speedboats off Lantau, which can disturb the dolphins. The low indirect
26 AAGR for period from 2004 to 2008.
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