The Vava'u island group in the northern part of the Kingdom of Tonga in the South Pacific is an area with a growing reputation as a whale watching destination. Each year humpback whales migrate from Antarctic waters to Tonga between July and November to give birth and mate. In the 1960s and 70s a small scale whaling industry existed in Tonga where local villagers, mainly in the northern island group of Vava'u, would hunt whales and utilise them as a source of food. These whaling practices were banned by royal decree in 1978 and whales have remained protected in Tongan waters since that time.

In the past five years a fledgling whale watching industry has become established in Vava'u and it appears to be making a major contribution to the development of tourism in the area. However, the pro-whaling organisation the World Council of Whalers along with some locals, have been actively promoting a resumption of whaling practices in Tonga. Coincident with a visit from World Council of Whalers representatives in August 1999, a female humpback whale was butchered near the capital Nuku'olofa and the meat distributed for local consumption. Consequently, conservation and tourism organisations and government officials in Tonga became concerned over the potential impact of a possible resumption of whaling practices in the area. As a result, a study supported by the Cetacean Society International was designed to provide an assessment of the economic benefits of these animals as a tourism resource for the islands. In addition, the study assessed the potential impact of a resumption of whaling on the whale watching industry in the area.

Results from this study reveal that whales are an important tourism attraction in Vava'u. 43% of air holiday-makers and 37% of yacht visitors considered that the whales were important, or extremely important reasons for their visit to Vava'u. Even more significant are the numbers of visitors who went whale watching during their stay. Over half (56%) of all air-visitors (during the July - October period) went on a commercial whale watch during their stay. In addition, almost all charter yacht holiday-makers (35% of all air holiday-makers chartered yachts) watched whales from their yacht at some stage during their holiday. Thus, 78% of all air holiday-makers went whale watching. Of those visitors traveling via private yacht, four per cent went on a commercial whale watch, 32% watched whales from their own yacht and a further 29% stated that they intended to do so during their stay in Vava'u. So, it is estimated that about half of all yacht visitors during the July - October season watched whales in Vava'u.

The 900 whale watchers who traveled via aircraft and the 400 whale watchers on yachts contributed between T$78,000 and T$116,000 in direct expenditure on whale watching in Vava'u each season. Furthermore, those visitors to Vava'u who came specifically to watch whales spent an additional T$567,847 on accommodation, food, transport, souvenirs and other items whilst in Vava'u. The five permitted whale watch operators in Vava'u spent an estimated T$54,464 on their whale watch operations and employees of those whale watch businesses spent an additional T$44,000 in Vava'u each season. Consequently, the "use" value (the direct, indirect and induced expenditure) of whales as a tourism resource in Vava'u is estimated to be between T$746,000 and T$784,000 each year.

This calculation of the economic benefit of whale watching in Vava'u only takes into account the first (expenditure of whale tourists) and second round (expenditure of whale watch businesses and their employees) of spending of whale watching related income. It does not incorporate the spending of other businesses supported by whale tourists (for example, accommodation providers, restaurants, transportation businesses and their employees), nor does it account for the subsequent rounds of re-spending of whale watch related income. Thus, the true multiplier effect of whale tourists' expenditure is not calculated. Consequently, the calculation of whale watch revenue of T$750,000 is an underestimate of the total economic benefit of whale watching to the Vava'u community. This would exceed T$1,000,000 each year.

The number of whales that visit Vava'u each year is relatively small. While an estimated 300 - 700 individual whales may visit Tongan waters annually, not all of these whales visit Vava'u. In addition, the whales that visit Vava'u stay for a relatively short time. There are, therefore, only a limited number of whales actually in Vava'u waters available for "watching" at any one time. Thus, while 300 - 700 whales may seem to be an "adequate" number for a tourism attraction, the reality is only a very small proportion of that number is "available" for whale watching. Each individual whale is therefore economically important for the area. Over an expected 50 year life span for a humpback whale, an individual whale could be worth many millions of dollars to the Vava'u community as a whale watching resource.

An additional issue identified in the study that is significant are the environmental attitudes of tourists visiting Vava'u. A series of attitudinal statements were presented to respondents in the questionnaire and their level of agreement/disagreement solicited. The results were heavily skewed indicating a high level of consistency across respondents. Both yacht visitors (83%) and air holiday makers (95%) are opposed or strongly opposed to the commercial hunting of whales. While the level of opposition to indigenous hunting of whales for local consumption is not as great, it is still strong for air holiday-makers (62%) but more evenly distributed amongst yacht visitors. Respondents were also asked to consider whether the hunting of whales at a particular location would reduce their likelihood of visiting that area, 62% of yacht visitors and 78% of air holiday-makers agreed that it would. Finally, a specific statement testing respondents propensity to visit Vava'u if whales were hunted there was used. Again, this revealed a strong level of consistency across respondents with 65% of yacht visitors and 73% of air holiday-makers agreeing that they would be less likely to visit Vava'u if whales were hunted there.

These attitudinal tests show, not surprisingly, that the great majority of visitors to Vava'u are opposed to any consumptive use of whales. The great majority of current holiday-makers to Vava'u are attracted by the pristine marine environment, the relatively undeveloped nature of the area and the genuine natural experiences they can have there. Experiencing whales is an important component of those experiences for many. It is, therefore, important to recognise the environmentally sensitive paradigm of these visitors because it indicates that any change in the protective status of whales and resumption of whaling practices, even on a small scale, would likely displace a large proportion of the current visitors to Vava'u. Thus, there is a likely "opportunity cost" with regard to any lethal use of the whales in Vava'u. It appears unlikely that a whale watching industry could co-exist with a lethal use of whales in Tonga.

If whales remain protected in Tonga the future for whale watching in Vava'u is positive. It is an industry that already makes a significant contribution to Vava'u and to Tonga. It is poised to become even more significant both economically and, perhaps more significantly, socially. How Tonga and Tongans are viewed by the international community and by themselves may well be defined by the approach taken in the future management of the whales that have visited their waters for so long.