Whale Watching Worldwide

Canary Islands
Year Number of
whale
watchers
AAGR Number of
operators
Direct
expenditure
Indirect
expenditure
Total
expenditure
1991 40,000 N/A N/A 1,144,000 2,860,000 4,004,000
1994 425,000 120% N/A 7,150,000 17,875,000 25,025,000
1998 1,000,000 24% 24 17,770,000 44,425,000 62,195,000
2008 611,000 ‐4.8% 29 $21,542,800 $34,984,700 $56,527,500
Capital City: Las Palmas, Gran Canaria
Whale Watch Locations:
01: Los Gigantes (SW Tenerife Island)
02: Los Cristianos (SW Tenerife Island)
03: Puerto Colon (SW Tenerife Island)
04: Valle Gran Rey (La Gomera Island)
05: Puerto Rico & Puerto Mogan (Gran Canaria Island)
The Canary Islands, administrated as part of Spain, attract the
highest number of cetacean watchers within the African region.
Conservative estimations for 2008 result in 611,000 whale
watchers, representing a negative AAGR of 4.8% against an
estimated 1,000,000 whale watchers in 1998. However, it has to be taken into account that, according to
local organisations and authorities surveyed for this report, estimations made at that time were influenced
by an exceptionally good season in terms of poor weather impacting on days available to take whale
watching tours ‐ estimated at 300‐315 clear whale watching days in 1998, a particularly long season rarely
found in any whale watch locations around the world (Urquiola et al, 1999). It is considered that the 2008
season was much shorter due to weather impacts. In addition, 1998 saw a booming number of vessels on
the water with dedicated and opportunistic whale watchers, but also there were reports of illegal boat trips
occurring at the time. These factors combined led to the large numbers reported in 1998.
The reduction in numbers of whale watch tourists in 2008 can be explained in part also by current regulatory
issues, specifically the number of boat licenses having been reduced from 52 in 1998 to around 35‐37 in
2008. Whale watching tours have over the last decade also improved in quality, with higher standards
enforced through regulations. It is reported that the earlier illegal operators have now ceased their
operations.
Whale watching in the Canaries is strongly focused on Tenerife Island, which accounts for an estimated 85%
of total whale watchers. Twenty‐one of the 29 tour operators identified for this report are located in
Tenerife, and at least 10 of these offer dedicated whale watching with many others offering trips with a split
focus of snorkelling and whale watching. Cetaceans are spotted off Adeje coast in the southwest, where a
high number of operators are based, departing from the localities of Los Cristianos, Los Gigantes and Playa
de Las Americas. In general, the type of trips seem to share the large‐scale tourism characteristics of the
island, they are short (some of them even for only one hour on board large catamarans or fast rubber
inflatable boats), cheap (starting form $31 per adult) and run often (up to five trips per day).
In Gran Canaria, trips are offered from Puerto Rico and Puerto Mogan, while in Lanzarote tours depart from
Puerto del Carmen y Puerto Calero. Each island contributes approximately 7% of the Canaries’ total whale
watchers. Tours from Gran Canaria and Lanzarote generally last longer (half a day), are carried out by larger
vessels and are complemented with general nature watching and sailing. These services are therefore
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