A nuisance at sea: Decoding tourists’ comfort on whale watching vessels

Because comfort on whale watching vessels is important to tourist satisfaction, this paper aims to identify its associated factors and establish a prediction model of comfort in the Taiwanese context. A survey of 1199 passengers was conducted over 41 voyages. Information on passenger characteristics, prior seasickness experiences, use of anti-seasickness tablets and self-assessed comfort were collected. Results indicate that gender, prior seasickness experiences and sea conditions were significantly associated with self-assessed comfort. A binary logit regression was employed to establish a prediction model of comfort with a correct classification rate of 76.6%. This model, serving as a recreation guide, preferably developed in the form of websites or Apps, facilitates visitors’ decision-making on whether to take trips or take precautions against potential discomfort. Future research was suggested on the robustness and refinement of the model and use of alternative scales in measuring comfort.