Turismo de observação de cetáceos no litoral sul do Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil

Abstract

This study aims to characterize the dolphin watching tourist activity in the State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Specifically, tourists who did the tours and the boat skippers of the beaches of Pipa and Baía Formosa were surveyed through a questionnaire. The group of skippers is mostly composed by men with low levels of formal education, whose principal source of income is the cetaceans’ observation activity. This research shows that, when compared with the skippers from Baía Formosa, the group of skippers from Pipa recognize further importance on nature conservation as a way of maintaining the dolphin watching activity. The tourist group of Pipa demonstrated a better understanding of the potential impacts that this activity has on the nature, when compared with the tourists that visited Baía Formosa. One possible explanation for this fact is the highest level of formal education found amongst tourists who visited Pipa. However, it is concluded that it is essential to understand how this activity is carried out, since the planning and control of an activity developed in the natural environment is essential for their maintenance and sustainability.