Tourist Knowledge, Pro-Conservation Intentions, and Tourist Concern for the Impacts of Whale-Watching in Las Perlas Archipelago, Panama

Abstract

Whale watching has become an important economic activity for many coastal areas where whales aggregate at certain times of year. Las Perlas Archipelago in Panama is a breeding ground for humpback whales, where the numbers of both visitors and tour operators have increased in recent years with little compliance and enforcement of regulations. Nevertheless, there is potential to improve whale-watching management at this site and its use as a tool for education and conservation awareness. Our objective was to assess tourist knowledge, perceptions and pro-conservation attitudes related to whale watching and how this activity is managed in Las Perlas. One hundred and eleven tourists were surveyed in the summer of 2019 after they participated in whale−watching tours. Overall, respondents had little knowledge about whales and their conservation before a whale-watching trip. However, after the excursion, tourists felt they had learned more about whale biology and the regulations for whale-watching. Trip satisfaction after whale-watching activities was higher when whale behaviors, including breaching and tail slaps, were observed. Respondents expressed low satisfaction when there was an excessive number of boats around a whale-sighting. Concern for lack of compliance seemed to be associated with whale-watching operations that onboard tour guides. This study highlights the importance of whale watching as a tool for promoting whale conservation through education and the need to improve the enforcement of existing regulations and visitor monitoring to reduce potential negative impacts of whale-watching.

Motivaciones y expectativas de los turistas y desempeño de los viajes de observación de ballenas en Bahía de Banderas

“…Altos niveles de satisfacción ya han sido reportados por otro autor en otras regiones (Orams, 2000). En este caso, la satisfacción puede estar más relacionada con la experiencia vivida al ver ballenas por primera vez, y por el tamaño y el comportamiento de las ballenas (Cárdenas et al, 2021;Malcolm et al, 2017). Los turistas que observan ballenas en Bahía de Banderas se consideran de nivel bajo de especialización de acuerdo con Malcom y Duffus (2008( , en Malcolm et al 2017; en consecuencia estos tipos de turistas suelen expresar altos niveles de satisfacción (Malcolm et al, 2017;Orams, 2000).…”

“…En ambos periodos de encuestas, los turistas buscan que el viaje no interrumpa con las actividades de las ballenas, sino que este se conduzca de una manera respetuosa con las ballenas y el ambiente. Este resultado no es exclusivo para Bahía de Banderas, más bien es un deseo de los observadores de ballenas a nivel mundial (Bentz et al, 2016;Cárdenas et al, 2021;Cornejo-Ortega et al, 2018).…”

“…En diversas partes a nivel mundial se han estudiado las expectativas de los turistas que hacen OB (Bentz et al, 2016;Cárdenas et al, 2021;Cornejo-Ortega et al, 2018;García-Cegarra & Pacheco, 2017) y se ha encontrado que prefieren que contenga elementos educativos (Avila-Foucat et al, 2013;Bentz et al, 2016;Filby et al, 2015;Malcolm et al, 2017;Sitar et al, 2016); con un máximo de 3 a 4 embarcaciones alrededor de una ballena o grupo de ballenas y, de no cumplirse, comprometería su deseo de regresar a hacer OB (Avila-Foucat et al, 2013;Avila-Foucat et al, 2017;Fernandes & Rossi-Santos, 2018). También los turistas expresan que prefieren minimizar los daños a las ballenas producto de la OB (Bentz et al, 2016;Cornejo-Ortega et al, 2018;Kessler et al, 2014) y que los operadores de las embarcaciones estén capacitados para cumplir las regulaciones (Orams, 2000).…”

Beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) response to personal watercraft and motorized whale watching vessels in the Churchill River estuary

“…The estimated economic impact of beluga tourism was $1,344,052 CAD for Northern Manitoba in 2014, with 60 direct full and part time jobs for residents (The Churchill Beluga Whale Tour Operators Association et al, 2015). Ecotourism can be a tool to educate participants about whale conservation (Garcıá-Cegarra and Pacheco, 2017;Caŕdenas et al, 2021), and the uniqueness of this sub-Arctic environment could increase awareness on how climate change affects iconic species. Tourism vessel impacts on belugas in the Churchill River estuary will be an important factor for decisions with respect to the establishment of a National Marine Conservation Area.…”

Predictors of the Behavioral Intention to Participate in Saiga Antelope Conservation among Chinese Young Residents

“…The conservation center cooperation with schools, enterprises, and wildlife conservation organizations, or recruit volunteers for scientific and field-oriented work, such as open community lectures and web-based seminars, are other alternatives. Field visits can also considered, which can promote conservation through education [60].…”