Executive summary - uploaded with permission

1. Summary of South African Boat Based Whale
Watching Association Socio-Economic Study

2. • Began SA in early 1990’s
• Legalized and permitted in 1998
• Department of Environmental Affairs administers permits and
polices the industry (Except in KZN)
• Represented by the South African Boat–Based Whale Watching
Association (“SABBWWA”)
• In 2002-2008 there were 26 possible permits
• In 2008-2016 there are 23 possible permits
• Seasons:
• Southern Right = July-December (Cape Coast)
• Humpback = May-June; October-December (W and E
Coast)
• Bryde’s = resident in low densities (Cape Coast)

3. COMPARATIVE SCENARIO
2002-2008 2008-2016
# of permits 26 23
Operational 18 17
Seat Numbers 385 475
Passengers 26 045 (in 2004) 42 0040 (2015)
Revenue R19,8 Mill R40,5 Mill
Tourism Expenditure R45 Mill R120 Mill
Employment 100 150

4. 19 Permit Allocations

5. BBWW Area
Permits allocated
2002-2008
Permits allocated
2008-2016
Western Cape
Lambert's Bay Area
St. Helena Bay Area
Saldanha Bay Area 1
Cape Town Area 1 1
Simonstown Area 1 1
Gordon's Bay Area 2
Overbergstrand Subarea 1 1 1
Overbergstrand Subarea 2 1 1
Overbergstrand Roving Area 3 1 1
Kleinbaai Area 1 1
Struisbaai/Arniston Area 1
Mosselbay Area 1 1
Knysna Area 1 1
Plettenberg Bay Area 2 2
Eastern Cape
Port Elizabeth Area 1 1
Woody Cape to Rocky Point Area
East London Area 1
Transkei Area
Port St Johns Area 1 1
KwaZulu-Natal
South Sand Bluff to Margate Area
Margate to Scottsburgh Area 1
Durban Area 1
Tugela River to Richards Bay Area 1
St. Lucia to Cape Vidal Area 1 1
Sodwana Bay Area 1

6. 7
0
0
3
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
20 - 30%
30 - 40%
40 - 50%
50+%
% OF MARKETING IS SPENT INTERNATIONALLY
Top 5 International Visitors:
• Netherlands
• Italy
• Germany
• US
• UK

7. 77,8%
55,6% 55,6%
77,8%
66,7%
33,3%
0,0%
10,0%
20,0%
30,0%
40,0%
50,0%
60,0%
70,0%
80,0%
90,0%
BBWW Packages
Series1

8. R500 - R1000
R1001 - R2000
R3001 +
THE ESTIMATED CLIENT SPEND PER TRIP

9. a day trip only,
22,2%
2 - 3 days,
55,6%
3 - 4 days,
11,1%
5 days +,
11,1%
Approximate Days a Tourist is Spending in the same Town

10. 5
0 0
4
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
10% - 20% 20% - 30% 30% - 40% 50%+
% OF THE OPERATORS BUSINESS THAT RELIES ON TOUR
GROUPS (I.E. GROUP BOOKINGS)

11. South Africa:
16%
Foreign:
84%
% of clients are South African vs Foreign

12. Very important -
there are no other
activities or
attractions
22%
Important - your
business is a large
contributor to
bringing tourists to
the area
45%
Not very important
- there are other
attractions bringing
tourists to this area
33%
The importance of the BBWW operation to the survival of
tourism in that specific town/area (i.e. would other businesses
such as Guest houses, hotels, B&B's survive without the
operation)

13. 1 - 5 years
12%
5 - 10 years
0%
10 - 15 years
13%
16 years +
75%
Years the BBWW business has been operational

14. Level 3 (110%
procurement
recognition)
12%
Level 4 (100%
procurement
recognition)
75%
Level 7 (50%
procurement
recognition)
13%
Operators BBBEE Status

15. 10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Black Women Disabled Youth Living within 50
ams of the
Operator prior
to employment
White
Black Women Disabled Youth Living within 50
ams of the
Operator prior
to employment
White
Part Time
Full time
Casual
% Annual Salary
Employment through the industry

16. Black
16%
Women
18%
Disabled
0%
Youth
8%
Living within 50
kms of the
Operator prior
to employment
by the Operator
37%
White
21%
% spend on Total annual wages on the following
groups

17. 18,5
29,375
0 0
69,16666667
81,375
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Black Women Disabled Youth Living within
50 kms of the
Operator
White
% Operator ownership
Ownership

18. 0
2
4
6
8
10
12
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
% Turnover on CSI
Spend

19. 0,0%
10,0%
20,0%
30,0%
40,0%
50,0%
60,0%
70,0%
80,0%
90,0%
100,0%
None Ad hoc sale of craft
and cultural
activities/products
Provision of
facilities for sale of
craft and cultural
activity bookings
etc.
Ad hoc use of
service providers
such as
accountants,
lawyers, plumbers,
builders etc.
Regular use of all
of the above
Other (please
specify)
Providing new employment opportunities to the local people other
than those employed by the Operator

20. 0,0%
10,0%
20,0%
30,0%
40,0%
50,0%
60,0%
70,0%
80,0%
90,0%
100,0%
None Ad hoc purchase of
local product
Regular purchase of
local product
Operators buying from local communities

21. 12,5%
50,0%
50,0%
12,5%
25,0%
25,0%
0,0% 10,0% 20,0% 30,0% 40,0% 50,0% 60,0%
None
Ad hoc training/skills transfer
Competent on the job training evident
Formal training programmes, but not
fully implemented
Fully implemented training/skills
transfer programme
Fully implemented training/skills
transfer programme with in house
programmes for job promotion

22. 0,00 1,00 2,00 3,00 4,00 5,00 6,00
Political Instability
Rogue/illegal operators
Too much legislation
Too li_le legislation
Too many operators
Access to financing
Fuel increases
Decline in a_raction
Difficult access (bad roads, high cost of flights)
Cost and accessing for marketing
Ineffective marketing from local tourism office
Pollution
Low numbers/sightings
Supporting businesses struggling
Impact of the new Home Affairs biometric
THE CURRENT THREATS TO THE SURVIVAL OF
BBWW OPERATIONS

23. Specific recommendations
• DEA and Industrial Recognised Bodies should co-manage
industry
• More permits can be issued in Cape Metro, Sunshine Coast
and Maputaland, Agulhas Coast, Hibiscus Coast and Durban
• possibly through more than one permit/boat/operator to
reduce competition
• Long-term rights benefits
• Performance criteria decided in conjunction with industry and
tourism
• Data collected by operators should be released annually
• DEA should support research on the status of the whales and
impacts of BBWW
• Marketing needs to be increased, and industry needs
investment by Tourism Government Bodies

24. Studies conducted
• Boat-Based Whale Watching in South Africa – An
Economic Perspective by Anchor Environmental
Consultants, 2005
• Towards an Evaluation of Marine and Coastal Eco-
Tourism along the South Africa Coast by EnvironDev,
December 2005
• SABBWWA Socio-Economic Development Survey,
2015