Why Wildlife Tourism is Wildly Successful

WATCHABLE WILDLIFE
– WHAT DOES
SUCCESS LOOK LIKE?
MICHAEL F. O’MALLEY
WASHINGATON DEPARTMENT OF FISH
AND WILDLIFE

WASHINGTON STATE TOURISM

IDAHO

Adventures In Living

The Gem State

“A Gem of a State”


USFWS SURVEY


$265 MILLION BUSINESS
$400,000

$350,000

$300,000

$250,000

$200,000

$150,000

$100,000

$50,000

$0
Wildlife Watching Recreational Fishing Hunting

2001 2006 WASHINGTON STATE TOURISM

$1.5 BILLION BUSINESS
53% Increase!
$1,600,000,000

$1,400,000,000
Washington
$1,200,000,000

$1,000,000,000

$800,000,000

$600,000,000

$400,000,000

$200,000,000

$0


$4.2 BILLION BUSINESS
42% Increase!
$4,500,000

$4,000,000

$3,500,000

$3,000,000

$2,500,000

$2,000,000

$1,500,000

$1,000,000

$500,000

$0


PARTICIPATION
800,000 754,000
700,000
600,000
500,000
400,000 350,000
300,000
187,000
200,000
100,000
0
Wildlife Watching Recreational Hunting
Fishing

Total

PARTICIPATION
800000

700000

600000 Non-resident,
326,000
500000

400000
Non-resident,
300000
144,000
Resident Non-resident,
200000 427,000 65,000
100000 Resident
206,000 Resident
0 122,000

Wildlife Watching Recreational Fishing
Hunting


EXPENDITURES GROW
$300,000,000 $259,000,000 $265,000,000

$250,000,000
$177,000,000
$200,000,000

$150,000,000

$100,000,000

$50,000,000

$0

1996 2001 2006


EXPENDITURES
Other Sales
3%

Equipment
24%

Triip related
73%

Days per trip:
Residents = 3
Nonresidents = 5:


WHAT ARE THEY ARE LOOKING
AT?
Birds , 400,000
1,000,000

100,000
Mammals,
10,000 419,000

1,000

100

10

1
Birds Mammals

Number of Viewers


AT?
Large mammals,
1,000,000 366,000

100,000 Small Mammals,
272,000
10,000

1,000

100

10

1


AT?
333,000 313,000
350,000
300,000
250,000 218,000
153,000
200,000 168,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
0
Songbirds Birds of Waterfowl Shorebirds Game
Prey birds

Number of Viewers

WATCHABLE WILDIFE JOBS

10,000 5938 5903

1,000

100

10

1
2001 2006


JOB INCOME
$149,546,066
$160,000,000
$140,000,000
$107,000,000
$120,000,000
$100,000,000
$80,000,000
$60,000,000
$40,000,000
$20,000,000
$0
2001 2006


JOB INCOME
$443,322,880
$450,000,000
$400,000,000
$350,000,000
$300,000,000
$250,000,000
$200,000,000
$150,000,000
$100,000,000 $35,209,977
$30,692,944
$50,000,000
$0
Multiplier Idaho Tax Federal Tax
Effect Revenue


IDAHO’S AGING POPULATION
200
Thousands

180

160

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

0


WASHINGTON’S AGING
POPULATION
600
Thousands

500

400

300

200

100
1980 1990 2001 2007
0
0‐4 5‐9 10‐14 15‐19 20‐24 25‐29 30‐34 35‐39 40‐44 45‐49 50‐54 55‐59 60‐64 65‐69 70‐74 75‐79 80‐84 85+


YUKON’S AGING POPULATION
3.5
Thousands

3

2.5

2

1.5

1

0.5

0


GENDER OF PARTICIPANTS
89
90
79
80
70
59
60
49 51
50 41
Male
40
Female
30 21
20 11
10
0
Wildlife Fishing Hunting General
Viewing Population


finding our way to a
community of practice


WILDLIFE VIEWING PLAN
2003 Washington Legislature
Passes SB 5011
“The departments of Fish and Wildlife
and Community, Trade, and Economic
Development are directed to host a conference on
wildlife viewing tourism, working with interested
local governments, state agencies, and
stakeholders.

“The objective of the conference shall be adoption
of a strategic plan and specific implementing
actions for promotion of wildlife viewing tourism in
a manner that provides sustainable rural
economic development and maintains wildlife
diversity.

“A summary of conference recommendations
must be submitted to the Legislature”


WILDLIFE CONFERENCE 10.3.03


Cultivate a Maverick Willing to Preach the Gospel

WA SENATOR KEN JACOBSEN


CONFERENCE FINDINGS
Lack of funding - for campaign, staff,
agency participation, signing, materials,
future needs

Need a coherent vision of what watchable
wildlife is and how to project that to the
public and agencies

Need to make it easy for others to get
a program going, need instructions,
who to talk with, how is it done,
what is the safe way to do the program
both from site selection and public safety

Need to develop methods to
help volunteers and keep them
from being burned out


WILDLIFE VIEWING IN WASHINGTON
Active viewer participation
and economic impact

Growing community
interest

Rich resource base,
and let’s keep it that way


GOALS OF WILDLIFE VIEWING PROGRAMS

Promote habitat conservation
Promote sustainable economic
development
Build broad-based public support
for wildlife conservation programs


COMMUNITY BENEFITS
Build unique community identity

Promote historical significance

Develop Pride of Place

Conserving wildlife habitat,
improve quality of life

Provide positive marketing image

Promote community cultural fabric

Promote authentic indigenous
community characteristics

Create a story for the community


NATURAL RESOURCE BENEFITS
Heightened awareness of the value
of natural resources and the need
to conserve irreplaceable assets

Stewardship of assets

Protection of community-determined
sacred places


NEW LEGISLATION

2007 Washington
“Promoting
Tourism
Washington as a
Commission
tourism destination
Created
to national and
international markets
to include nature-
based and wildlife
viewing tourism.”

NEW DIRECTION
Governor Gregoire’s priority: “Make
Special Efforts to Promote Eco- and Geo-
Tourism In Washington”
(The Next Washington-Growing Jobs and Income in a Global Economy:
2007-2017). .”


NEW DIRECTION
Highlights from recent Tourism plans emphasize
the importance of nature as a key Washington
attraction:
• In Washington State Tourism Marketing
Plan, 2009/2010, five market segments
were identified as key audiences: Urban
Explorers, Wine and Culinary Enthusiasts,
Watchable Wildlife Adventurers, Active
Cruisers, and Adventure Travelers.


NEW DIRECTION
• Ecotourism is an emerging travel trend,
particularly associated with LEED-
approved (“green”) properties and
practices.
• The six-year Washington Tourism Plan
identifies four travel “destination drivers,”
that stimulate fundamental travel
decisions: natural environment, physical
beauty, wildlife, and Seattle.


NEW DIRECTION
• Use Geotourism to entice visitors
embracing sustainable practices.
Geotourism is tourism that “sustains or
enhances the geographical character of a
place – its environment, culture,
aesthetics, heritage and the well-being of
its citizens. Wildlife and wildlife viewing
are core environmental and cultural
assets.”

CENTRAL CASCADES MAP

• Joint Washington and
Oregon project (Oregon
lead)
• Mount Rainier to Crater
Lake
•National Geographic
product
• Ice-breaking project for
geotourism concept


WILDLIFE CONFERENCE 2004
SOAP LAKE
First pre-conference field
trip and social hour
Expanded to one day,
plus previous evening
Presented Plan and
conclusions
Participants want an
annual conference


FRIDAY HARBOR
Hosted by local VCB
Involved local nonprofit (Whale Museum)


RICHLAND
Community sought us
Free meeting room
Donation from local VCB
Returned $$ to community
(local Audubon chapter)


CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN

Flickr wildlife
photographers’ sessions

LEAVENWORTH
1½ day conference
Introduced “geotourism”
Limited to 3 presenters


PARTICIPANTS
•Chamber of Commerce representatives
•Direct marketing operators
•Festival promoters
•Scenic byway developers
•Lodging owners
•Tour operators
•Land-based government agencies
•Tourism staff


Getting active


EXPANDED PARTNERSHIPS
MOU February 2005

WA State Parks
WA Dept. of Transportation
Audubon Washington
CTED
WDFW


AUDUBON WASHINGTON


COMMUNITY INTEREST GROWS
Wildlife festivals and
events are increasing

Scenic highway
planning stimulates
interest

Washington State Great
Birding Trails project
sparks ideas


WILDLIFE LICENSE PLATE


EXISTING RESOURCES

WDFW Web site
“A Community
Guide to Nature
Tourism”


EMERGING TRENDS
Judy Walden’s Travel Trends

• Search for health and well being


EMERGING TRENDS

•Travelers expect personalization


EMERGING TRENDS

•Weekends are the norm


EMERGING TRENDS

•Americans are weary


EMERGING TRENDS

•Culinary tourism on the rise


EMERGING TRENDS

•Women-only travel


EMERGING TRENDS

•Increased development
of niche markets


EMERGING TRENDS

• Americans demand instant information


EMERGING TRENDS

• Americans demand instant information
• Technology rules from destination planning to
in-destination decisions


EMERGING TRENDS

Cell phone 79%
Notebook or laptop 44%
MP3 player 40%
Digital camera 64%
Camcorder 41%

Over 50% of travelers now plan and pay for travel on the Internet


EMERGING TRENDS

• Seniors are staying active


EMERGING TRENDS

•Large clans gather


EMERGING TRENDS

•US affluence


EMERGING TRENDS
Andy Dumaine’s Travel Trends

• Nothing will ever be the same again.


EMERGING TRENDS

•Whatever the future holds,
it will be green.
.


EMERGING TRENDS

• Shift in favor of people
and place, over sweet
deals.


EMERGING TRENDS

•Stop extracting local experiences and start
enhancing local experiences.


EMERGING TRENDS

•Build on
authentic
experiences.


EMERGING TRENDS

• 100 million
travelers are
exploring
destinations
that
maximize
local
engagement.


EMERGING TRENDS

•Searching
for the
deepest
experiences,
not just the
best deals.


EMERGING TRENDS

•Travel must engage the heart before the wallet.


EMERGING TRENDS

•Volunteerism remains the fastest-growing
segment of the travel market.


WRAPPING UP.


MOST EFFECTIVE TOOL
AN ANNUAL CONFERENCE


PURPOSE
Training

Networking

Networking

Networking


KEY GUIDING PRINCIPLES
FOLLOW THE $$$!
Wildlife-related tourism brings $$$ to rural areas.

If wildlife is recognized as an economic asset ($$$),
it is more likely to be protected.


WHALE TRAIL


WILDLIFE MAPS HIGHWAY 97 &I -5


DIVE INTO THE SOUND


BE GREEN - BE CONNECTED

Downloadable wildlife
viewing guide


CONNECT OTHERS


FINAL SUGGESTION:
Take your state’s Tourism staff on a field trip
to see your special places


and LEGISLATORS and STAFF!


THANK YOU

Become an evangelist,
and soon others will
follow.


Why Wildlife Tourism is Wildly Successful

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Featured

Featured (20)

Why Wildlife Tourism is Wildly Successful