Every year, around 12-15 million people go on whale watching trips in more than 100 countries and territories around the world. This generates an annual income of more than 1.500 million dollars (Erich Hoyt, 2007). Although 61% of this activity takes place in the Northern Hemisphere, whale watching shows an important increase in Latin America. After more than two decades of development, whale watching is strong in some countries; in others, even though it is incipient, it is gradually building up.

Click on the map for information about species and whale watching spots and seasons by country.