Whale Watching Worldwide

expenditure figure is largely explained by the high proportion of domestic tourists as opposed to
international tourists, who have a lower average daily expenditure level.
Main species: Small cetaceans:
Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphin (known locally
as the Chinese white dolphin)
Tourists:
International 30%
Domestic 70%
Types of tours: Boat‐based, with several types of operator –
dedicated dolphin watching operators, tour
operators that include dolphin watching, and
small opportunistic boats.
Average adult ticket price: $45
Estimated employment
35
numbers:
Main whale watch season: Year‐round
Acknowledgements:
Thanks to Samuel Hung at Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society. Much of this information is based on his paper
Development of Dolphin watching Activities in Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China, presented at the 10th
Symposium on Cetacean Ecology & Conservation ‐ Toward A Sustainable Future of Whale‐ Watching, Taiwan, 8‐13
September 2004. Thanks also to Bennie To, Chris Parsons and the main dolphin watch operator.
China ‐ Taiwan
Year Number of
whale
watchers
AAGR Number of
operators
Direct
expenditure
Indirect
expenditure
Total
expenditure
1991 None N/A None None None None
1994 None N/A None None None None
1998 30,000 N/A 13 $1,223,000 $3,057,000 $4,280,000
2008 200,000 20.9% 23 $5,387,275 $10,800,000 $16,187,275
Capital City: Taipei
Whale Watch Locations:
01: Yilan
02: Hualien
03: Taitung
Taiwan has a large cetacean watching industry, which has grown
considerably since 1998. The industry is focused on three counties
on the east coast: Yilan, Hualien and Taitung. These areas are host
to around 125,000, 70,000 and 5,000 whale watchers respectively.
These estimates came from local authorities (Yilan and Hualien) and
operator estimates, and are in line with studies done by the Taiwan
Cetacean Society, who estimated 220,000‐240,000 whale watchers in total.
Most trips run for a couple of hours out from the coastal ports and return. Operators offer dedicated whale
watch trips, but also run fishing and nature cruises, particularly to an island to the north of Yilan. The trips
cost around $26, but most operators have websites and offer discounts for online bookings.
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