Whale Watching Worldwide

Main species:
Tourists:
Large cetaceans:
humpback whale
International 90%
Domestic 10%
Types of tours: Land‐based, infrequent boat‐based
Average adult ticket price: N/A
Estimated employment
numbers:
N/A
Main whale watch season: July to October
Acknowledgements:
Nan Hauser (Centre for Cetacean Research and Conservation) provided critical input to our earlier Pacific Islands Whale
Watch Tourism report.
References:
Research for this country was taken from the Pacific Islands Whale Watch Tourism report undertaken by Economists at
Large for IFAW. 2005 data from that report have been projected forward to 2008 at an average annual growth rate of
2.4% based on UN World Tourism Organisation regional growth data.
Federated States of Micronesia
01: Yap
02: Chuuk
03: Kosrae
04: Pohnpei
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 230 N/A ~5 $10,500 $25,500 $36,000
2005 Minimal 0% Minimal Minimal Minimal Minimal
2008 Minimal 0% Minimal Minimal Minimal Minimal
The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) has a relatively small
tourism industry within the region attracting around 20,000 visitors
each year 44 .
Operator feedback indicates that there are occasional sightings of
short‐finned pilot whales and spinner dolphins around the islands.
However, research indicates that at this stage, no dedicated whale
watching industry exists.
There is a small diving industry in the regions of Chuuk, Yap, and Kosrae and responses from dive operators
indicate a low number of opportunistic whale watching activities occurs on some of these trips where
cetaceans are seen.
44 2003 figures: SPTO, Tourism Sector Study – Micronesia, online at http://www.stpo.org
178