Journal of Sustainable Tourism
Editors: Bill Bramwell (Sheffield Hallam University) and Bernard Lane (Visiting Research Fellow, Sheffield Hallam University)
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Volume: 9 Number: 2 Page: 128–146
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From Whale Hunting to Whale Watching in Tonga: A Sustainable Future?
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Mark B. Orams
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The Vava'u island group in the northern part of the Kingdom of Tonga in the South Pacific has a growing reputation as a whale-watching destination. The pro-whaling organisation, the World Council of Whalers,
with some local people, has, however, been actively promoting a resumption of whaling in Tonga. This study assesses the attitudes and characteristics of 'whale tourists' to the islands. Seventy-eight per
cent of all tourists arriving by air, and around half those arriving by yacht, went whale watching. Both types of visitor opposed whale hunting; both types said they would be less likely to visit the islands
if whales were hunted there. Consequently, any resumption of whaling or change in the protected status of whales would be likely to displace a large proportion of current visitors to Vava'u, resulting in
a serious 'opportunity cost'. It seems unlikely that a whale-watching industry could coexist with a lethal use of whales in Tonga.
© Channel View Publications 2001
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