Surf Tourism in Uncertain Times: Resident Perspectives on the Sustainability Implications of COVID-19
Surf tourism is the principal development driver in many coastal communities around the world. Surf tourism development brings economic opportunities to residents in coastal destinations, but has also been criticized for associations with gentrification, pollution, and inequity. While many have spec...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-07-01
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| Series: | Societies |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/11/3/75 |
| _version_ | 1797517210426540032 |
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| author | Leon John Mach |
| author_facet | Leon John Mach |
| author_sort | Leon John Mach |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Surf tourism is the principal development driver in many coastal communities around the world. Surf tourism development brings economic opportunities to residents in coastal destinations, but has also been criticized for associations with gentrification, pollution, and inequity. While many have speculated that surfers represent a crisis-resistant tourist segment, this had not yet been empirically demonstrated, nor had the sustainability implications of their travel during crises been explored. Building on ethnographic observations and two interview phases with 25 resident surfers in Bocas del Toro, Panama, this is the first study to do both. The findings reveal that the pandemic exacerbated existing sustainability challenges by accelerating development near surf-breaks, fomenting tensions within the surf community (related to surf tourism business operations and the distribution of benefits) and facilitating residents to surf more frequently—exacerbating surf-resource crowding. Evidence also revealed, however, a potential shift in surfers’ collective consciousness in the context of the pandemic, which reduced conflicts between visiting and resident surfers. This paper exposes the urgent need for stakeholders in surf communities, and particularly surf tourism business owners, to cooperate in order to preserve surf experiences that are vital to resident mental/physical health and well-being, as well as the attractiveness as a surf tourism destination. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:12:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7c7d2ff1874541b3865d06377c71ef3d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4698 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:12:36Z |
| publishDate | 2021-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Societies |
| spelling | doaj.art-7c7d2ff1874541b3865d06377c71ef3d2023-11-22T15:16:23ZengMDPI AGSocieties2075-46982021-07-011137510.3390/soc11030075Surf Tourism in Uncertain Times: Resident Perspectives on the Sustainability Implications of COVID-19Leon John Mach0Center for Topical Island Biodiversity Studies, School for Field Studies, Bocas del Toro 0101, PanamaSurf tourism is the principal development driver in many coastal communities around the world. Surf tourism development brings economic opportunities to residents in coastal destinations, but has also been criticized for associations with gentrification, pollution, and inequity. While many have speculated that surfers represent a crisis-resistant tourist segment, this had not yet been empirically demonstrated, nor had the sustainability implications of their travel during crises been explored. Building on ethnographic observations and two interview phases with 25 resident surfers in Bocas del Toro, Panama, this is the first study to do both. The findings reveal that the pandemic exacerbated existing sustainability challenges by accelerating development near surf-breaks, fomenting tensions within the surf community (related to surf tourism business operations and the distribution of benefits) and facilitating residents to surf more frequently—exacerbating surf-resource crowding. Evidence also revealed, however, a potential shift in surfers’ collective consciousness in the context of the pandemic, which reduced conflicts between visiting and resident surfers. This paper exposes the urgent need for stakeholders in surf communities, and particularly surf tourism business owners, to cooperate in order to preserve surf experiences that are vital to resident mental/physical health and well-being, as well as the attractiveness as a surf tourism destination.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/11/3/75surfsurf tourismpandemicCOVID-19resident perspectivessustainability |
| spellingShingle | Leon John Mach Surf Tourism in Uncertain Times: Resident Perspectives on the Sustainability Implications of COVID-19 Societies surf surf tourism pandemic COVID-19 resident perspectives sustainability |
| title | Surf Tourism in Uncertain Times: Resident Perspectives on the Sustainability Implications of COVID-19 |
| title_full | Surf Tourism in Uncertain Times: Resident Perspectives on the Sustainability Implications of COVID-19 |
| title_fullStr | Surf Tourism in Uncertain Times: Resident Perspectives on the Sustainability Implications of COVID-19 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Surf Tourism in Uncertain Times: Resident Perspectives on the Sustainability Implications of COVID-19 |
| title_short | Surf Tourism in Uncertain Times: Resident Perspectives on the Sustainability Implications of COVID-19 |
| title_sort | surf tourism in uncertain times resident perspectives on the sustainability implications of covid 19 |
| topic | surf surf tourism pandemic COVID-19 resident perspectives sustainability |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/11/3/75 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT leonjohnmach surftourisminuncertaintimesresidentperspectivesonthesustainabilityimplicationsofcovid19 |