Whale Watching Worldwide

Hoyt, E & Iñíguez, M 2008, ‘The State of Whale Watching in Latin America’, WDCS, Chippenham, UK; IFAW, Yarmouth
Port, USA; and Global Ocean, London, 60 pp..
Uruguay
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 None N/A None None None None
2006 4,800 44.7% 5 $26,000 $99,750 $125,750
Capital City: Montevideo
Whale Watch Locations:
01: Punta del Este
02: Maldonado
03: Rocha
Uruguay has some good offerings of cetacean viewing from both
sea and land, with a mix of commercial tours and research trips.
From August to October southern right whales can be seen close to
Uruguay’s coast. Five operators run boat‐based trips from Punta
del Este, east of the capital, Montevideo. Eight platforms for land‐
based whale watching have also been built along the coast in
Maldonado and Rocha.
Although a small and new industry, there remains significant potential for further development.
Main species: Large cetaceans:
southern right whale
Small cetaceans:
bottlenose dolphin, franciscana
Tourists:
International 40%
Domestic 60%
Types of tours: Boat‐based, land‐based
Average adult ticket price: $35 (boat‐based trips)
Estimated employment
7
numbers:
Main whale watch season: August to October
References:
Hoyt, E & Iñíguez, M 2008, ‘The State of Whale Watching in Latin America’, WDCS, Chippenham, UK; IFAW, Yarmouth
Port, USA; and Global Ocean, London, 60 pp..
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