Measuring Perceived Crowding in the Marine Environment: Perspectives from a Mass Tourism "swim-With" Whale Shark Site in the Philippines

Perceived crowding is an important measure in assessing the social impacts of tourism activities. The goal of this study was to determine if the method used to measure perceived crowding in the marine environment (numerical vs. visual approach, boat vs. swimmer crowding) affects the crowding outcome and to apply the concept to a high-density marine wildlife tourism site, viewing whale sharks in Oslob, Philippines. The influence of various variables, including specialization, gender, nationality, swimmer behaviors, and proximity, was also tested to see if they affected crowding levels. Results indicate that a visual approach is more accurate in measuring reported encounters and encounter norms, and that boat and swimmer crowding are not interchangeable. Boat crowding is a serious problem in Oslob (95.6% crowded). Specialization, nationality, and swimmer behaviors and proximity all affected perceived crowding. Individuals who reported feeling crowded were more likely to perceive negative impacts of tourism activities on the local community, whale sharks, and wider environment. They also showed higher levels of support for management interventions to limit the number of people and boats at the site and to better regulate or ban whale shark provisioning activities. This study provides important insights regarding how to measure perceived crowding in the marine environment and management implications for a mass tourism wildlife site experiencing overcrowding.