Sustainable dolphin watching tours as a tool to increase public awareness of marine conservation – a comparative analysis between two Mediterranean destinations and implications for management

Manna, Gianfranco La; Melis, Giuseppe; Rako-Gospić, N.; Basta, Jelena; Mackelworth, Peter; Holcer, Draško; Atzeni, Marcello; Leeb, K.

doi:10.1080/14724049.2020.1742132

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Moreover, this tourists-driven quality check could help filling the gaps previously evidenced, both considering the low percentage of certified operators both the apparent lack of code of conduct among non-certified operators. The role of whale watching operators in transmitting conservation messages to tourists has already been demonstrated (Lopez and Pearson, 2016;García-Cegarra and Pacheco, 2017;La Manna et al, 2020). Our results confirm this, as the Experienced group demonstrated to be more aware of conservation measures, such as the existence of the Pelagos Sanctuary, of the code of good conduct, and of the HQWW R label, compared to New.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

“…Being New the highest proportion of whale watchers, whale watching operators should better advertise the offered tours, focusing on the overall ensemble of marine species that can be sighted (including marine birds and sea turtles as an example). Quality of the educational and awareness message spread on board can drive and adjust tourists expectations during wildlife tours (Orams, 2000;La Manna et al, 2020). Rising the quality of the information provided onboard is also one of the aims of the HQWW R label, which foreseen a specific training program for both guides and vessels crews.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This need is further enhanced by the change in the type of offer, as on-request trips could make it difficult to assess effective presence of boats in the same area. Moreover, some whale-watching activities are focused primarily on bottlenose dolphin population (La Manna et al, 2020), a species listed as "Vulnerable" and needing conservation actions in the Mediterranean (Bearzi et al, 2008(Bearzi et al, , 2012.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Potential negative impacts of whale watching activities have been reported to be derived from disturbance reasons, with consequent stress index increases and behavioral changes (Magalhaes et al, 1999;Erbe, 2002;Lusseau, 2006;Richter et al, 2006;Visser et al, 2011;Parsons, 2012;New et al, 2015). At the same time, it has been demonstrated that whale-watching can be an effective tool to raise awareness about species conservation issues and to educate tourists on cetaceans' ecology and threats, especially when the tourist experience is enriched by good environmental education (Lien, 2001;Lück, 2003;Stamation et al, 2007;Wearing et al, 2014;García-Cegarra and Pacheco, 2017;La Manna et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Whale Watching in the Pelagos Sanctuary: Status and Quality Assessment

Tepsich

Borroni

Zorgno³

et al. 2020

Front. Mar. Sci.

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In 2001 Italy, France, and Principality of Monaco instituted a protected area for marine mammals in northwestern Mediterranean Sea, named the Pelagos Sanctuary. The agreement foresees the commitment by signing parties to manage human activities in the area, with a special mention to whale watching. Whale watching is a form of wildlife tourism which has considerably grown in the last decades. Understanding the profile of whale watchers and their satisfaction toward the activity, is the first step toward a sustainable and effective management of this touristic activity. In this work we provide the first analysis of the whale watching activity in the Pelagos Sanctuary, focusing on commercial whale watching tours departing from Italian harbors in Liguria. We provide a census of the activity and the results of close-ended questionnaires filled by whale watchers during trips in summer 2016 and 2017. The aim of the questionnaires was to understand the level of awareness of experienced and new whale watchers regarding the Pelagos Sanctuary and some conservation initiative going on in the area. Finally, we analyzed the satisfaction level, with the aim of evidencing weakness and strengths of the service offered. Our results evidence a growth in the activity in the last 15 years, with a wider differentiation of offers and impacting a larger area than previously found. Whale watchers in the area come from a variety of countries, demonstrating the importance of the Pelagos as a hot spot for this activity. A high level of satisfaction has been evidenced, with no difference among new and experienced whale watchers. At the same time, more effort is needed to increase awareness of Pelagos and its conservation initiative both at a national and international level. This study provides useful information for the start of an effective management of whale watching in this protected area.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Whale Watching in the Pelagos Sanctuary: Status and Quality Assessment

Tepsich

Borroni

Zorgno³

et al. 2020

Front. Mar. Sci.

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“…This is reflected in a wealth of ecotourism research that has since emerged, institutional responses such as the UN's declaration of 2002 as the 'International Year of Ecotourism,' and the number of operators that use "ecotourism" as a label to identify themselves within a crowded market. Several recent studies support the notion that ecotourism has the potential to provide its purported benefits, such as encouragement of sustainable behavior (La Manna et al, 2020;Morse et al, 2019), financial contributions to host communities (Hunt et al, 2015;Mendoza-Ramos & Prideaux, 2018), and support for conservation (Boley & Green, 2016;Lopez Gutierrez et al, 2020;Stronza et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

What drives ecotourism: environmental values or symbolic conspicuous consumption?

Beall

Boley

Landon

et al. 2020

Journal of Sustainable Tourism

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Despite an influx of ecotourism research since the term was first coined, it is still not entirely clear why tourists choose ecotourism over other tourism experiences. While most of the previous literature assumes that ecotourism is preferred by travelers for moral reasons, emerging evidence suggests that opportunities to project one's social status are increasingly salient factors in decision-making about travel. This article compares the relative influence of two possible predictors of ecotourism intention: environmental values (measured through the value-beliefnorm theory) and symbolic conspicuous consumption (measured through expected social return). Respondents were drawn from a panel of U.S. tourists who had taken an overnight trip within the last year (n ¼ 786). Results of a structural equation model suggest that both personal norms (b ¼ 0.22, p < 0.001) and social return (b ¼ 0.60, p < 0.001) explain a considerable amount of variance in ecotourism intention (R 2 ¼ 0.44), with social return having the stronger influence. These results suggest that environmental values are not the sole reason for travelers' choice of ecotourism alternatives, and that ego-enforcing motives play an important role. The positive and negative implications of demand for ecotourism extending beyond those with strong environmental values are discussed.

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