Whale Tourism or also known as “Whale Watching” is the practice of watching the friendly gigantic Whales in their natural habitat. Many countries have practiced this activity as it does not only let people see Whales and other cetaceans in closer look but, it also provides scientific and educational purposes. Below are some pictures why people are hooked on watching these enormous sea creatures.

Happy Whales

"smile" Whale Watching

These Whales are not trained but they do their best to entertain people. These sea creatures are very friendly that when they see people nearby, they have a show-off or they let people touch them. Aren’t they the friendliest?

Smooth as silk!!!

Can a whale fly?

Whaling industry

Whales are considered as natural resource and because of that, Whaling industry are starting to debate on what’s best use of it. It has been reported that Whale Tourism is now a successful business. In the year 2009, the Whale-watching revenue topped a whopping $2 billion worldwide. As the new study shows, it grows for up to 10% each year. And now, we’re already in 2012. So how much do you think is the revenue now? You do the math.

Whale killings

There are countries that practiced Whale killings. Absolutely not a good idea! One obvious reason is that, Whales are friendly creatures. They don’t harm humans, they entertain humans. For that, they should be conserved for the eyes of the next generation. Second reason (and you may not know this one) is that, Whales are now worth more alive than dead. Many popular Whale Watching regions have gained so much money for the past years because of these sea creatures. The amount of people that are fond of watching Whales are increasing each year. Popular Whale sightings are not just making money from letting people watch Whales but they also make money from Whale merchandise and souvenir products.

With that being said, Whale Tourism is surely a booming business.

Indeed, there isn’t anything like a whale watching. This recreational activity does not only provide a glimpse of such magnificently large creatures but it also creates commercial activity worth $1 billion every year.

Whales are considered as natural resources. Watching these titanic mammals glide through the blue is always something exciting to watch and observe.

Although this activity may seem like something new, whale tourism actually dates back to 1950 when the San Diego Cabrillo National Monument was used as a public spot for watching gray whales.

Customers were then charged $1 to view the whales at a closer range. This proved to be popular among visitors as it generated 10,000 tourists in its first year. From there, the industry continued to spread throughout the northern and western part of the United States.

Today, whale watching has become a tourist spectacle not only in the US but in other regions as well. Countries such as the Philippines, New Zealand, Ireland, Spain, France, and Great Britain boasts wonderful whale watching spots.

On the other hand, the countries of Norway, Iceland, and Japan are considered as the top whaling nations today.  Between 1994 and 1998, these three countries have increasingly grown and improved their whale watching industry.