聖文森與格里納迪賞鯨旅遊事業發展之研究－台灣模式之引用

Abstract

Abstract Marine and Island ecotourism have a promising future for the Caribbean region and by extension, St.Vincent and the Grenadines. Fisheries tourism has shown strong growth in the tourism sector in the last decade and ecotourism is fast becoming the new agenda in many island tourism packages. Tourism is the fastest growing industry in the world and the fastest growing component of it is ecotourism. In fact, according to the World travel and tourism council (WTTC), tourism is now the world’s largest industry, generating 12% of the Global gross national product. With the collapse of the Banana industry in the Windward Islands, of which St.Vincent and the Grenadines is a member, the country is forced to look for other alternative sources of revenue and job creation for its people. This study attempts to analyse the whale watching industry in St.Vincent and the Grenadines, compare the whale watching industry of Taiwan and Dominica, realise a supply-side analysis of the development of whale watching tourism in Owia village and propose a framework for the development of whale watching tourism in the rural fishing village of Owia with applications of the Taiwan model. Taiwan once fished dolphins and killed whales but has since ceased this practice and has with the help of investment and the creation of new policies from the Government, embarked on fisheries tourism. The move has proven to be a very successful one, with three main whale watching areas being developed; Yilan, Hualien and Taitung. This study will focus on the Taiwan model of whale watching tourism in Yilan, which is the closest to Taipei and which is the most successful of the three areas. Dominica is another small Caribbean island. It is one of the neighbouring islands of St.Vincent and the Grenadines and a member of the Windward Islands and has suffered similar losses due to the collapse of the banana industry caused by the effects of Globalization and diverse diseases. Dominica once supported Japan’s fishing exploits in exchange for grants but has since withdrawn this support and has ventured fully into whale watching instead of whale hunting and has seen many economical and social benefits. In fact Dominica is now known as the whale watching capital in the Caribbean. The study is carried out by analysing various literatures of experts and also by carrying out a survey in the form of detailed interviews with the whale watching tour operators of St.Vincent and the Grenadines. A SWOT analysis of Owia village is also done and then a framework for the whale watching tourism development is then proposed. From this analysis, a mechanism for the sustainable development of the whale watching industry in Owia, a rural village in St.Vincent and the Grenadines is proposed. Suggestions for future plans, management and development of the whale watching sector is also provided. The supply-side analysis focused on the variables of transportation, infrastructure, foreign investment and price competitiveness. From this analysis, it was found that Owia village is ideal for an eco-tourism development due to ideal location, a rich heritage and recent improvements in infrastructure, and future governmental plans for further development. However, there are many challenges to the development of this industry and as such detailed planning from both demand and supply sides have to be realised before the implementation of such a project. It is the hope that St.Vincent and the Grenadines can also develop a sustainable whale watching industry that will bring socio-economic benefits to the rural communities and the nation by extension.

Keywords: Whale watching tourism, St.Vincent and the Grenadines, Taiwan, Dominica, Owia, Supply-side analysis, Eco-tourism, Cetaceans, Sustainability, Development, SWOT analysis.