Sustainable tourism and the management of nearshore coastal places: place attachment and disruption to surf-spots

ABSTRACT

Surfing, a dominant recreational activity in many coastal areas, is a primary driver of local and international tourism. Surf-spots, nearshore oceanic locations where waves break and surfing occurs, are essential community resources. Yet, many surf-spots are at risk of degradation from climate change and other factors. Knowing whether and why surfers consider surf-spots as meaningful places can inform sustainable management of these resources, benefitting the environment and users alike. This study examines place attachment and disruption in relation to surf-spots through an online survey of 1055 surfers in California, where surfing is an important recreational and touristic industry. Our findings suggest that surfers exhibit high fidelity to specific surf-spots and develop deep attachments to those spots, with the strength of the attachment varying depending on the type of surf-spot. Some respondents consider surf-spots to be “part of their family”; few respondents describe no attachments. We conclude that, despite being dynamic oceanic locations, surf-spots are meaningful places for surfers. This importance, combined with the value of surf-spots as resources driving coastal tourism and recreation, warrants systematic consideration of surf-spots as natural resources by managers, and suggests that user–place attachment should be better understood at surf-spots and other tourism sites.

KEYWORDS:

• Coastal tourism management
• place attachment
• place identity
• place dependence
• place disruption
• surfing

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by a Goldman Fellowship from the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment (to Reineman). The authors thank research assistants Diego Sancho, Christina Morrisett, and Tran Diep Lam. The authors are especially grateful to the many participants who dedicated time and energy to complete the survey. The authors do not derive any financial interest or benefit arising from the direct applications of this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. See Supplemental Online Material, Table S1, for definitions of surfing-related terminology.

2. See Supplemental Online Material, Table S2, for full questionnaire.

3. Statistical researchers indicate a desired range of Cronbach's alpha between approximately .75 and .95 (DeVellis, 2003; Tavakol & Dennick, 2011).

4. We have kept all surf-spot names shared by respondents confidential in compliance with IRB regulations and our stated commitment to participants.

5. There were exceptions; for example, one respondent answered: “No other spot compares with [my surf-spot] in my eyes.”

6. For more information, see http://www.savethewaves.org/programs/world-surfing-reserves/ (last accessed 1 May 2017).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Dan R. Reineman

Dan Reineman is a lecturer in the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences, and a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Stanford University, California, USA. From 23 August 2017, he will take up a post in the Environmental Science & Resource Management Program at California State University Channel Islands.

Nicole M. Ardoin

Nicole Ardoin is an associate professor in the Graduate School of Education and a senior fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University.