ECONOMIC VALUE AND PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF WHALE SHARK TOURISM IN NOSY BE, MADAGASCAR

Q3 Social Sciences

Tourism in Marine Environments Pub Date : 2021-01-01 DOI:10.3727/154427321X16223819324721

J. Ziegler, S. Diamant, S. Pierce, R. Bennett, J. Kiszka

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引用次数: 4

Abstract

Nosy Be in northwestern Madagascar is home to a globally important whale shark (Rhincodon typus) aggregation and a growing whale shark tourism industry. Whale sharks, however, are not protected in Malagasy waters and are threatened by fisheries bycatch, collisions with vessels, and disturbance from tourism. We used tourist questionnaires (n = 488) to assess the economic value of, and tourist perceptions of, whale shark tourism in Nosy Be from September-December 2019. We also surveyed whale shark tour operators (n = 12) in December 2018 to understand their perceptions of tourism management needs in the region. Results suggest the Nosy Be whale shark tourism industry was worth US$1.5 million for the three-month 2019 whale shark season. ‘Dedicated’ whale shark divers (i.e., those who came specifically to Nosy Be to swim with whale sharks) spent 55% more money overall and six times the amount individually compared to ‘casual’ whale shark divers. Both tourists and operators supported the protection of whale sharks, with the majority (67.4%) of tourists strongly agreeing that they would choose a tourism destination at which whale sharks are protected. Tour operators did note, however, significant management issues (e.g., overcrowding, lack of regulations/training), recommending the need to better regulate whale shark tourism and interactions. This study emphasises the economic rationale for protecting whale sharks in Madagascar to safeguard the emerging marine tourism industry and ensure it is being sustainably managed.

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马达加斯加nosy be的鲸鲨旅游的经济价值和公众看法

马达加斯加西北部的Nosy Be是全球重要的鲸鲨(Rhincodon typus)聚集地和不断发展的鲸鲨旅游业的所在地。然而，鲸鲨在马达加斯加水域不受保护，受到渔业副渔获物、船只碰撞和旅游业干扰的威胁。我们使用游客问卷(n = 488)来评估2019年9月至12月Nosy Be的鲸鲨旅游的经济价值和游客对鲸鲨旅游的看法。我们还于2018年12月调查了鲸鲨旅游运营商(n = 12)，以了解他们对该地区旅游管理需求的看法。结果表明，在2019年为期三个月的鲸鲨季节，Nosy Be鲸鲨旅游业价值150万美元。“专门”的鲸鲨潜水者(即那些专门来八卦网与鲸鲨一起游泳的人)比“随意”的鲸鲨潜水者总体多花55%的钱，个人多花6倍的钱。游客和经营者都支持保护鲸鲨，大多数(67.4%)的游客强烈同意他们会选择一个保护鲸鲨的旅游目的地。然而，旅游经营者确实注意到重大的管理问题(例如，过度拥挤、缺乏规章/培训)，建议有必要更好地管理鲸鲨旅游和相互作用。这项研究强调了在马达加斯加保护鲸鲨以保护新兴海洋旅游业并确保其得到可持续管理的经济依据。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Tourism in Marine Environments Social Sciences-Geography, Planning and Development

CiteScore

2.00

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Tourism in Marine Environments is an interdisciplinary journal dealing with a variety of management issues in marine settings. It is a scientific journal that draws upon the expertise of academics and practitioners from various disciplines related to the marine environment, including tourism, marine science, geography, social sciences, psychology, environmental studies, economics, marketing, and many more.