Dolphin Watching in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman: Tourist Perceptions and Actual Current Practice
Tourists who went dolphin watching in Muscat between December 2006 and June 2007 were asked to complete a questionnaire gauging the overall quality of their trips based on four main aspects: safety, educational value, perception of the boat driver's behavior, and overall satisfaction.
Results showed that most tourists were satisfied with their dolphin-watching trip and that the majority felt that the boat drivers maintained a good distance between the boat and the dolphins, yet most also expressed the view that official guidelines should be established and implemented.
However, awareness levels of tourists regarding the existence of dolphin-watching guidelines were low and tourist perceptions of their trips contrasted with observed practices, which reveal the current industry standards in Muscat to be lacking in many respects. The contrast is discussed and
recommendations made for raising industry standards.
Keywords: DOLPHIN WATCHING; GUIDELINES; MUSCAT; PERCEPTION; SULTANATE OF OMAN; TOURISM
Document Type: Research Article
Publication date: 01 July 2011
- Tourism in Marine Environments is an interdisciplinary journal dealing with a variety of management issues in marine settings. It is a scientific journal that draws upon the expertise of academics and practitioners from various disciplines related to the marine environment, including tourism, marine science, geography, social sciences, psychology, environmental studies, economics, marketing, and many more.
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