Hawaii's real life marine park: interpretation and impacts of commercial marine tourism in the Hawaiian Islands

Abstract

The Hawaiian Islands are a popular tourism destination for over seven million travelers annually. Commercial marine tourism in Hawai‘i (e.g., snorkel and dive trips, wild dolphin swims, whale watching) is a multi-million dollar industry attracting visitors from around the world. By using proper interpretation, these operators may reduce some impacts on the marine environment. This article examines marine tour excursion practices and interpretation through analysis of participant observations on 29 tour boats and semi-structured interviews with 59 tour boat employees, operators, and other experts in the Hawaiian Islands. Results show that many operators and clients participate in depreciative behaviors such as dumping food scraps, feeding fish, trampling coral, and harassing marine life. The majority of tour companies offer some form of interpretation, but overlook aspects of the environment and focus primarily on equipment use and personal safety. This article highlights the lack of environmentally oriented interpretation and explores possible links between depreciative behavior and interpretation. Research and management implications are discussed.

Keywords:

• marine tourism
• environmental impacts
• interpretation
• qualitative analysis
• commercial tourism

Acknowledgement

This research would not have been possible without generous funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Canada, Hawai'i Division of Aquatic Resources, and York University. This article was written with great support from Shelley Wiener and is in loving memory of Ruby Wiener.