Do tourists really care about the animals they watch?

Tourist interactions with wildlife, and interpretation during wildlife watching trips, have the potential to increase conservation intentions among tourists. Tourism can also have negative impacts however as it can disturb... [ view full abstract ]

Tourist interactions with wildlife, and interpretation during wildlife watching trips, have the potential to increase conservation intentions among tourists. Tourism can also have negative impacts however as it can disturb wildlife and lead to altered animal behaviour. Finding a balance where tourists can experience wildlife watching, while still protecting the animals, is of great importance. Both whale watching and seal watching are increasingly popular activities in Iceland, but research on the interest and knowledge of tourists about the animals they watch is scarce. A survey of marine mammal watching tourists in Iceland was conducted to find out more about who these tourists are, and test knowledge and interest in marine mammal conservation, and attitudes to regulating tourism activities. For comparison the survey included both whale watching tourists, seal watching tourists and a control group not watching marine mammals during their stay in Iceland. Results showed that tourists generally had strong biospheric values, and high interest in ecotourism activities. Most tourists in all test groups had finished a university degree, but on average the education level was higher among whale and seal watching tourists compared to the control group. There was a difference in interest and attitudes to marine mammals between whale and seal watching tourists and the control. Both seal and whale watching tourists were more interested in marine mammal conservation than tourists in the control group. In all test groups, about half of the tourists were aware that marine mammal watching could have an impact on the animals. Tourists were generally positive towards regulating the activities they participate in and marine mammal watching tourists agreed to a higher extent than the control group about regulations being important. Knowledge regarding the awareness among tourists of these issues is important as it could aid in creating regulation of activities, as well as education of tourists.