Whale Watching Worldwide

Estimated employment
numbers:
Main whale watch season:
Acknowledgements:
Richard Parnell (Wildlife Conservation Society) at the Mayumba National Park.
References:
Mayumba National Park, http://mayumbanationalpark.com/
Gambia, The
Year Number of
whale
watchers
AAGR Number of
operators
Direct
expenditure
2
July to October
Indirect
expenditure
Total
expenditure
1991 None N/A None None None None
1994 None N/A None None None None
1998 1,000+ ~49.5% 3 $30,000 $75,000 $105,000
2008 10,000 25.9% 4 $650,000 $1,500,000 $2,150,000
Capital City: Banjul
Whale Watch Locations:
01: Gambia River mouth
The Gambia has four operators that run trips primarily around the
mouth of the Gambia River. The trips are generally opportunistic in
nature and focus on small cetaceans, primarily bottlenose and
Atlantic humpback dolphins. No large cetacean watching trips are
offered, although minke whales are occasionally seen in the
harbour area.
Since 1998, the industry has grown at an average annual rate of
25.9%, with an estimated 10,000 whale watching tourists in 2008.
Acknowledgements:
Main species:
Tourists:
Small cetaceans:
bottlenose dolphin, Atlantic humpback
dolphin
International 90%
Domestic 10%
Types of tours: Boat‐based, opportunistic
Average adult ticket price: $85
Estimated employment
numbers:
30
Main whale watch season:
November to April
54