Marine Tourism

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Marine Tourism

• Chris Ryan
• Professor
• University of Waikato, New Zealand
• Editor Tourism Management

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Research Subjects

• Visitor management
• Carrying capacities
• Visitor sources of information
• Visitor impacts
• Visitor satisfaction levels
• Visitor activities

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What I will cover

• General comments about growth in Marine Tourism
• Activities
• Recreational Spectrum
• Needs for and types of regulation
• Opportunities

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Definition
Marine Tourism includes those recreational
activities that involve travel away from ones
place of residence and which have as their host
or focus the marine environment (where the marine
environment is defined as those waters which are
saline and tide-affected).
Mark Orams, 1999, Marine Tourism, London
Routledge
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Activities

• Pleasure sailing
• Swimming
• Aesthetics and Relaxation
• Medicinal fresh air, activity
• Fishing

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Activities

• Role of Technology
• Cruise shipping
• Scuba diving
• Surfing, windsurfing
• Kitesurfing
• Parasailing
• Hotel pontoons on reefs
• Underwater observatories
• Submarines

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Activities

• Emergence of Nature Based Tourism
• Whale watching
• Swimming with Dolphins
• Feeding Dolphins
• Shark watching/feeding
• Manta ray swimming

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Indicative growth
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Indicative Growth
Percentage Market Share
1994 1996 1998
2000
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A Case Study
Solitary Island Marine Park
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Types of Activities Solitary Island Marine Park
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Spatial Pattern of Users

• 46 of users lived within 2 hours drive time of
  the Marine Park so take into account local
  residents and day use
  
• 51 lived inter-state
• 3 were overseas visitors

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Implications

• Not all total revenue generated by the Marine
  Park was new expenditure in the region
  
• For Parks to obtain high levels of international
  visitation they must possess high profiles that
  are possibly separate from conservation
  needs/values

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Activities

• Short stays were generally beach oriented
• Of those staying less than 2 hours
• 33 went swimming
• 21 went walking
• 16 went surfing
• 8 went fishing
• 5 walked their dog!

One-third of all visits were of 2 hours or less
duration
Of 1497 recorded visits 73 lasted less than a
day
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Spectrum of Marine Recreation Opportunities
Easily accessible
Accessible
Experience Environment Locations Ex
amples

High Social interaction High level of services O
ften crowded
Often contact with others
Human structures/influence close by
Many built structures Lower quality natural envir
onment
Close to urban areas Beaches and inter-tidal area
s
Inter-tidal to 100 metres offshore
Swimming, snorkeling, jet-ski Parasailing, fishin
g, windsurfing
Swimming, sunbathing, people watching, playing,
eating
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Spectrum of Marine Recreation Opportunities
Less Accessible
Semi remote
Remote
Experience Environment Locations

Examples
Some contact with others
Peace and quiet, close to nature.
Safety-rescue available occasional contact with
others
Solitude, tranquil,close to nature, self
sufficiency
Few human structures close by few visible
Evidence of some human activity e.g. lights on
shore, mooring buoys
Isolated, high quality, few human structures
100 metres to 1 kilometre offshore
Uninhabited coastal areas50 km offshore
Isolated coasts 1-50 kilometres offshore
Usually boat-based, sailing, fishing,
snorkeling/scuba diving.
Some scuba diving, submarine, powerboat, sailing
(larger vessels)
Offshore sailing, remote coast kayaking, live
aboard offshore fishing
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Regulatory Issues

• Feeding species
• alters hunting behaviour,
• may endanger health of dolphins,
• creation of nuisance animals
• may alter breeding patterns
• may alter territories
• commodifies nature
• endangers humans

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Regulatory issues

• Sewage and waste disposal
• Pumping station provision
• Implementation and policing of policies
• Mooring of boats
• To protect coral
• To prevent spatial distribution of damage
• To avoid over crowding

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Types of regulations

• Zoning with proscribed activities e.g. no
  commercial/recreational fishing
  
• Limits on catch sizes for fish and shell foods
• Limits in approach distances (whales, rays,
  dolphins)
  
• Limits in scheduling of boat trips by location
  and activities
  
• Issuing of licensing

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Problems

• Policing regulations
• Manpower
• Balance between education and prosecution
• Achieving successful prosecution of offenders
• As offences often out of sight issues of
  establishing proof when courts have contradictory
  evidence from defence and prosecution
  

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Opportunities

• It is a growth market
• There are early adopters who seek new
  destinations
  
• There is an emergent Asian adventure youth
  market
  
• There are facilities in Taiwan

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Steve White, managing editor of Action Asia
magazine, noted that enthusiasm for exotic food
"is having a harmful effect on biodiversity. Some
species, sunfish, turtles and whale shark for
example, could be big earners if left alive as an
attraction for divers." However, Gray pointed out
that Kending is not the only place in Taiwan
suitable for diving. Green Island, Orchid Island
(Lanyu) and Liouchiouyu also have excellent
diving. But each location has its own problems.
"Green Island formerly had the jail, so much of
the area around the island was off limits." But
he explained "I have noticed a reduction of
marine life around Green Island over the past few
years since the jail was closed and unrestricted
fishing was permitted by locals. "Orchid Island
simply did not have any facilities for diving at
one time, and both Orchid and Green islands can
be difficult to get to. Penghu is the same, plus
it has strong winds for half the year." Asked how
he sees diving developing in Taiwan, Gray
remarked "The local authorities desperately need
to work out a plan of conservation and enforce
regulations with heavy fines. If they do this,
then it is possible that degraded reefs in
Kending will recover. There are still some areas
with almost pristine reefs. "The government
must in my opinion set up marine park
reservations on Green and Orchid islands, and
also in Penghu and Liouchiouyu.
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Taiwan could become a mecca for divers from Japan
and Hong Kong and become very popular with locals
too if the powers that be enforced marine park
regulations," he said. "In my opinion, they need
to move all jet ski operators -- there have been
a couple of deaths and injuries to swimmers and
divers after being hit, and innumerable close
calls -- up the coast around 10 kilometers out of
the national park, and reserve the Kending area
for water sports such as swimming, snorkeling,
diving, sail boarding, yachting, surfing and
ocean kayaking." Unified structure needed Action
Asia's White also thinks jetskis and divers
should be kept well apart.
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