related tourism on the economy of rural West Scotland

1. During the tourist season of 2000, interview surveys were conducted with those involved in whale-watching in West Scotland. The groups included in the study were boat operators (32), visitor-centre managers (8), tourists on whale-watching trips (324), general tourists to West Scotland (673) and local residents (189). The latter two groups were interviewed for comparison of responses of those engaged in whale-watching against the views of the local community and tourists in general. From the data provided by these interviews, estimates for the economic value of this specialist sector of the Scottish tourism industry were calculated. 2. Extrapolating from the surveys, in the year 2000, an estimated total of approximately 242 000 tourists were involved in cetacean-related tourism activities in West Scotland. 3. In 2000, 59 full-time and one part-time jobs were estimated to be created as the direct result of cetacean-related tourism, with 38 % of these positions being seasonal. 4. Cetacean-related tourism was estimated to account for 2.5 % of the total income from tourism in the region. In remote coastal areas, cetacean-related tourism may account for as much as 12 % of the area’s total tourism income