Abstract
White shark (Carcharodon carcharias) cage-diving tourism is a controversial activity that provokes emotional and often opposing points of view. With increasing demand for shark tourism since the 1990s, the un- derlying determinants driving this growth in participation remain unclear. This paper adopts a qualitative approach to investigate beliefs underlying tourists’ choice to observe white sharks while cage-diving at the Neptune Islands, South Australia. Elicitation surveys gathered responses from a sample (n = 86) of cage-diving participants. Content analysis of the responses revealed the decision to cage-dive with white sharks is driven by factors including education and the perceived naturalness of the experience. The findings of this study indicate an opportunity for cage-dive operators to pro- vide in situ education and interpretation with potential for increased tourist satisfaction and shark conservation outcomes.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 231-245 |
Number of pages | 15 |
Journal | Anthrozoos |
Volume | 29 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 3 May 2016 |
Keywords
- education
- interpretation
- marine wildlife
- shark tourism
- Theory of Planned Behavior