Whale Watching Worldwide

Mauritius
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 Minimal N/A Minimal Minimal Minimal Minimal
2008 21,400 56% 25 $597,976 $2,064,650 $2,662,626
Capital City: Port Louis
Whale Watch Locations:
01: Tamarin Bay
Mauritius has approximately 25 whale watching operators, most of
whom offer dolphin watching and swim‐with trips. The industry is
primarily focused on dolphin watching and swim‐with tours and the
majority of activities occur in Tamarin Bay, off the southwest coast
of Mauritius. Potential for watching large cetaceans also exists with
humpbacks and occasional sperm whales recorded in the waters off
Mauritius; however, only one operator is currently offering these
trips. The average cost for a dolphin watching trip is around $35 for
adults and $23 for children. Whale watching or combined whale and dolphin watching trips will usually cost
more.
Since 1998, whale watching has grown from a small informal industry to one that is now estimated to take
over 21,000 tourists annually on dolphin watching trips, with very minimal large cetacean watching
occurring. Between 1995 and 2005, international arrivals to Mauritius grew at an average of 6.1% annually,
increasing from 422,000 tourists in 1995 to 761,000 tourists in 2005 (World Tourism Organization, 2006).
Since 1998, the whale watching industry has outpaced the growth of inbound tourism by a staggering figure,
growing at an average annual rate of 56%.
Unfortunately, there are ongoing concerns about the sustainability of dolphin watching in Tamarin Bay, due
to the number of operators and the behaviour of some operators around the dolphins. In 2006, the
Mauritian Government published dolphin watching guidelines to be adhered to by all operators, but is
unclear how successful the guidelines have been to date.
Main species: Large cetaceans:
humpback whale
Small cetaceans:
bottlenose dolphin, spinner dolphin
Tourists:
International 90%
Domestic 10%
Types of tours: Boat‐based, swim‐with, dedicated,
opportunistic
Average adult ticket price: $35
Estimated employment
35
numbers:
61