Whale Watching Worldwide

Mozambique
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 500+ ~25.7% 1 $100,000 $50,000 $150,000
2008 8,280 32.4% 18 21 $481,080 $700,088 $1,181,618
Capital City: Maputo
Whale Watch Locations:
01: Ponta do Ouro
02: Bazaruto Archipelago
03: Quirimbas Archipelago
04: Inhambane City
There has been significant growth in Mozambique’s whale watching
industry since 1998, when around 500 tourists generated
approximately $150,000 in expenditure. In 2008, 8,280 tourists
generated nearly $1.2 million in total expenditure, an average
annual growth rate in tourist numbers of 32.4%. Inbound tourism
receipts to Mozambique grew at 11.9% annually between 2000 and 2005, which suggests that whale
watching tourism is growing at a faster rate than the broader tourism industry. This is despite the fact that
cetacean watching activities are not heavily marketed, with most tourists only finding out about whale
watching activities after arriving in Mozambique.
Mozambique has as many as 21 whale watching operators. The vast majority are dive centres or boutique
hotels that offer opportunistic and dedicated dolphin and whale watching. Some operators also engage in
‘swim‐with’ dolphin activities. The average ticket price is $35 for adults and $28 for children. An estimated
30 full‐time jobs are supported by whale watch operators.
Vessels range from sea kayaks, to motorised boats, recreational fishing boats and dive boats. Although the
majority of the operators are local, because of the close proximity to South Africa dive operators from across
the border also run trips into Mozambique, often conducting swim‐with trips.
The industry is focused mainly on bottlenose dolphins, although humpback whales are also seen on their
migration between the months of June and October. The main area for whale watching is Ponta do Ouro on
the southern tip of Mozambique. Resorts and boutique hotels in the Bazaruto Archipelago, Quirimbas
Archipelago and at Inhambane also offer dedicated seasonal whale watching trips and opportunistic dolphin
watching. 19
Two operators are involved in research projects. One operator is collecting data on humpback whales for
research being carried out at Cape Town University. Another has been carrying out research for over 10
years as the non‐profit organisation DolphinCare‐Africa. This research organisation collaborates with the
Natural History Museum of Maputo and the Eduardo Mondlane University and is funded through
commercial tours and volunteering programmes. DolphinCare‐Africa has actively campaigned for increased
18
For the purpose of calculating this rate, we assume 500 whale watchers in 1998.
19
Other locations where whale and dolphin watching may be possible include Praia do Tofo and Jangamo, although no
data was available from these areas.
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