A wave of new scientific research has rocked perceptions about marine tourism in Mexico, revealing that decades of regulation have not prevented tourism vessels from inflicting serious harm on iconic wildlife such as humpback whales and whale sharks. Despite official protections and detailed guidelines, scientists have found high levels of rule-breaking and growing impacts on vulnerable species, prompting experts to call for more rigorous enforcement and widespread education for both service providers and tourists.
Every winter, the emerald waters of Bahía de Banderas—a gulf located at the junction of Jalisco and Nayarit—host thousands of humpback whales arriving from the Arctic to mate, give birth, and rear calves. The bay, flanked by booming resort hubs Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit, has become Mexico’s main breeding ground for humpbacks and a magnet for tens of thousands of whale-watching tourists each year. To protect these gentle giants, Mexico’s Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) in 2011 introduced detailed regulations specifying how tourism boats should approach, observe, and interact with whales.
But after nearly 14 years of these rules, new peer-reviewed research indicates that non-compliance is rampant. One recent study published in the journal Ocean & Coastal Management tracked 73 tours over four years and recorded breaches of regulations in 88% of 303 whale sighting events. Even more concerning, over one-third of violations involved mother-calf groups—the most vulnerable whales, according to lead author, a marine biologist and doctoral student at the University of Guadalajara. “They are in their stage of growth, breastfeeding and learning,” she explained, noting the heightened risks to these young animals when boats violate minimum approach distances or linger too close for too long.
These repeated disturbances appear to have tangible effects on the whales’ health and long-term survival. The research team found that whales respond to close encounters with avoidance maneuvers, frequently changing swimming direction and surface behaviour—activity that rapidly depletes their energy reserves. Since humpbacks do not feed in Bahía de Banderas during their months-long stay, they rely on stored body fat; excessive energy expenditure can weaken both mothers and calves, undermining the reproductive success and population stability of the species (insideclimatenews.org).
The causes of non-compliance are both structural and social. The research identified gaps in boat operator training, inadequate navigational equipment, and peer pressure from tourists eager to get close-up photos or see leaping whales. “There is bad behavior on both ends: on behalf of the tourists, ignorance; and on behalf of the service providers, a desire to satisfy tourists and get a good tip,” said a professor of conservation biology at the Ensenada Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education, who contributed to the study. The allure of viral social media posts and exaggerated tourism marketing has led many visitors—especially foreigners from the United States and Canada, who comprise most whale watchers—not only to expect physical proximity, but mistakenly hope to touch the animals, confusing humpbacks with the more tolerant grey whales of Baja California.
This is not an isolated failure. Parallel research in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve in Quintana Roo found that a staggering 98% of dolphin-watching tours violated national guidelines aimed at minimizing stress and danger to marine mammals (Ocean & Coastal Management). Meanwhile, the story of whale shark tourism in Bahía de la Paz—a sanctuary protected since 2018, where rules ban close approaches and cap the number of boats at any time—offers both caution and hope. Here, the most recent data from Whale Shark Mexico, a conservation research initiative, show that up to 60% of whale sharks still display injuries from boat propellers and hull strikes, despite official protected status and training sessions for guides.
Unlike the more frequent intentional rule-breaking seen with whale-watching, the damage to whale sharks often results from accidental run-ins as boat operators try to navigate crowded waters where the number and location of sharks fluctuate from month to month. “We’ll see cuts or amputations because of the boats, or scratches, which are generally the result of tourist activities,” explained the executive director of Whale Shark Mexico. The persistent and sometimes increasing rate of injuries has led researchers to urge a switch from static limits on boat numbers to a dynamic, science-based cap reflecting actual whale shark populations in real time, combined with a stronger presence of environmental authorities to enforce compliance.
Both sets of studies reach similar conclusions: legal frameworks and management plans, no matter how well-conceived on paper, are only as effective as their enforcement and the buy-in of those most directly involved—guides and tourists. Scientists are particularly emphatic about the importance of education. “Raising awareness not only among tour guides but also among tourists can help with the issue of compliance,” the University of Guadalajara researcher said. If tourists understood the reasons for regulations, she added, they would stop pressuring guides to allow dangerous close approaches.
From an international perspective, Thailand’s own booming marine tourism scene—stretching from the Andaman Sea to the Gulf of Thailand—faces remarkably similar pressures and opportunities. Iconic Thai destinations such as Koh Samui, Koh Tao, and Phang Nga Bay attract millions of visitors eager for encounters with dolphins, sea turtles, dugongs, and whale sharks, as well as mass snorkeling and diving among coral reefs (Tourism Authority of Thailand). As tourism revenues have soared, so have environmental concerns—from anchor damage to coral, to propeller wounds on marine megafauna and crowded conditions driving wildlife away from traditional habitats.
Thai regulatory authorities such as the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR), echoing Mexico’s SEMARNAT, have established protected areas with rules for boat conduct, maximum visitor numbers, and bans on feeding or touching marine life (DMCR). Yet persistent reports of boat traffic injuries to endangered dugongs in Trang and Nakhon Si Thammarat, or whale sharks off Phuket, suggest that regulatory non-compliance and inadequate enforcement are just as prevalent in Thailand as in Mexico (Bangkok Post), Bangkok Post coverage on whale sharks).
The Mexican experiences underline crucial lessons for Thai policymakers, tourism operators, and environmental advocates. For one, robust environmental laws are only meaningful if there is sufficient monitoring and the power—and political will—to sanction violators. Mexican researchers emphasized the need for an on-site presence from the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection to check for compliance and revoke permits for repeat offenders; in Thailand, this highlights the importance of empowering DMCR officials and local law enforcement with mandates and resources for oversight, especially during high season and festival periods.
Education and expectation management among tourists is equally important. As seen in Mexico, the majority of visitors are foreign nationals with little knowledge of local marine biology or regulations, placing extra responsibility on guides and tour companies to brief clients, correct misunderstandings, and prioritize animal welfare over entertainment. Initiatives such as Thailand’s “Green Fins” and “Responsible Tourism” certifications for tour operators, along with community-led projects on Koh Lanta and Koh Libong, offer potential blueprints, but their impact is limited without sector-wide adoption and evaluation (Green Fins Thailand and Tourism Thailand Responsible Tourism).
Thailand’s cultural attachment to the sea—embodied in the life of southern fishing and boat-building communities, traditional festivals like Loi Ruea Fai, and Buddhist teachings about compassion for sentient beings—has the potential to reinforce a national ethic of respect and restraint. However, rapid economic growth and international tourism have sometimes obscured these values under the pressure of competition and profit, echoing the unsustainable development pathways seen in Mexican hotspots like Cancún and Los Cabos.
Looking ahead, both Mexican and Thai researchers advocate for adaptive management based on real-time scientific monitoring. This includes placing limits on the carrying capacity for wildlife tourism sites based not just on boats or visitors, but also on seasonal changes in animal populations and behaviors. They stress continuous education for guides, operators, and tourists alike, updating rules when new science emerges, and ensuring enforcement remains proactive rather than punitive.
For Thai stakeholders in government, tourism, and conservation, the practical recommendations are clear:
- Strengthen regular and surprise inspections of marine tourism operators, especially during peak seasons.
- Require and fund ongoing environmental education for licensed guides, and make clear briefings mandatory for all tourists.
- Empower authorities to penalize and suspend non-compliant operators, with sanctions escalating for repeat offenses.
- Establish real-time monitoring and dynamic caps at major marine wildlife sites, with input from marine biologists.
- Support public campaigns explaining the rationale behind wildlife tourism rules, emphasizing long-term sustainability over short-term gain.
- Foster local community stewardship and integrate traditional ecological knowledge into park and tour management.
With marine tourism projected to play an ever-greater role in both the Thai and global economies, the lessons from Mexico’s struggles suggest that a shift towards truly responsible tourism is urgently needed. By prioritizing wildlife welfare, strengthening science-based regulation, and rigorously enforcing compliance, Thailand can both protect its priceless marine heritage and safeguard the foundation of its tourism future.
Sources:
- Inside Climate News: Marine Tourism in Mexico Remains Damaging to Wildlife Despite Regulations, Research Finds
- Ocean & Coastal Management—Whale-watching guideline compliance study
- Bangkok Post: Marine tourism threats to dugongs and whale sharks
- Department of Marine and Coastal Resources Thailand
- Green Fins Thailand
- Tourism Authority of Thailand