Whale Watching Worldwide

Alaska
Year Number of
whale
watchers
AAGR Number of
operators
Direct
expenditure
Indirect
expenditure
Total
expenditure
1998 76,700 N/A 66 $89,100,000 $33,550,000 $122,650,000
2008 519,000 21% 60 $410,000,000 $55,000,000 $465,000,000
Whale Watch Locations:
01: Inside Passage
02: Juneau
03: Gustavus
04: Homer
05: Kodiak Island
Alaska is one of the premier locations for whale watching in the
United States, with humpback whale and orca populations drawing
the greatest tourist focus. Whale watchers can also view minke
whales, Pacific white‐sided dolphins, Dall’s porpoises and gray
whales. The whale watching offerings in this part of the US are
diverse, with the large growth in numbers being made up of cruise
ship participants, multi‐day nature cruise participants, and small‐scale dedicated whale watchers.
The southeast region of Alaska is both the state’s most visited area and its whale watching hub, centred
around the northernmost limits of the famous Inside Passage – a series of protected waterways that stretch
south into Canada and connect right down to Washington. Humpback whales feed in the northern part of
the Passage from May to September, and are often seen breaching. As these whales remain in the same
areas for 15 weeks or more (in particular Glacier Bay and the Icy strait), whale watching operators in this
region are able to offer tours from May to September. Operators often guarantee whale sightings and offer
refunds if no whales are sighted. More than 45 operators offer a variety of trips in this area, ranging from
dedicated whale watching operations to sea kayaking tours. Whale watching departs from Juneau and
Gustavus at the northern end of the Passage, where most trips are half‐day in length.
Farther down the passage, around Ketchikan, Petersburg and Sitka, there are fewer operators in total, but a
greater proportion of multi‐day trips. These trips are usually nature cruises, less dedicated to whale
watching alone, although cetaceans are still an attraction heavily emphasised in marketing.
The central south region of Alaska also has notable whale watching around Homer, Seward and Kenai.
Whale watching here is more opportunistic than dedicated. Operators focus on a range of migratory species
as one aspect of broader wildlife and sea kayaking tours.
The western coastal region of Alaska (southwest of Anchorage) draws considerably fewer visitors than either
of the other regions (3% of total visitors compared to 70% and 56% of total tourists respectively). Whale
watching represents only a small proportion of wildlife tourism in the region, as it is based on gray whales
migrating past on the way to other areas. There are three operators located on Kodiak Island that offer
whale watching alongside other wildlife viewing, particularly bears. Despite this, the local Whale Fest is one
of Kodiak Island’s main festivals, and has been running annually since 1997. The festival features
educational lectures on whales and indigenous culture, films, music and whale watching.
Cruise ship tourism represents a considerable portion of Alaskan tourist volume at 61% of all visitors in the
summer of 2008. As the vast majority of cruises passing through the southeast frequently sight whales,
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