Whale Watching Worldwide

Niue
Year Number of
whale
watchers
AAGR Number of
operators
Direct
expenditure
Indirect
expenditure
Total
expenditure
1991 None N/A None None None None
1994 Minimal N/A Minimal Minimal Minimal Minimal
1998 50 N/A 3 $1,500 $500 $2,000
2005 270 28% 1 $7,360 $33,750 $41,110
2008 290 19% 60 1 $7,903 $36,239 $44,169
Capital City: Alofi
Although a small country with relatively low levels of tourism
(approximately 2,558 visitor arrivals in 2004 61 ), Niue has a reliable
cetacean population of humpback whales and spinner dolphins that
form the basis of a small industry.
The number of operators has decreased in recent years from three
to one main operator who runs both dolphin and whale watching
and swim‐with tours in response to tourist demand, although this
operator’s core business is dive tourism. Whales also often pass
close enough to shore that people can swim out to the whales from
land or private yachts can easily access them.
The number of whale watchers in Niue has grown by an average of 19% per annum between 1998 and 2008.
Acknowledgements:
Ian and Annie Gray of Niue Dive.
Main species: Large cetaceans:
humpback whale
Small cetaceans:
spinner dolphin
Tourists:
International
N/A
Domestic
Types of tours: boat‐based, dedicated
Average adult ticket price: $27
Estimated employment
1
numbers:
Main whale watch season: July to October for whales, year‐round for
dolphins
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.
60 AAGR from 1998 to 2008
61 Op.cit., Hopkins, R (2006)
191