Contested access to surf tourism destinations

Worldwide, different cultural and legal systems have been used to control natural resources. Where resources change in value or scarcity over short time periods, conflict for control is commonplace. In the outdoor nature and... [ view full abstract ]

Worldwide, different cultural and legal systems have been used to control natural resources. Where resources change in value or scarcity over short time periods, conflict for control is commonplace. In the outdoor nature and adventure tourism sector, sites that can provide more desirable experiences are more valuable. We examine conflict over ownership and control of access to sites used by the surf tourism industry. Qualitative site-based case studies were conducted with data from documentary analysis and on-site semi-structured stakeholder interviews. Surf sites in countries with different legal and cultural systems were examined in depth including; Maldives and Indonesia. Stakeholder and narrative analyses were used to explore the data.

Crowding was commonplace in all sites examined. Major stakeholder groups included: businesses such as luxury surf resorts, liveaboard charter boats and local guesthouses; tourists with different budgets; and local surfers with no commercial interests. The most popular narrative of foreign businesses was obtaining control of surf sites to cap the number of surfers and manage crowds. In Maldives, private surf resorts have used national land-use policies to claim exclusive access to their adjacent surf breaks, excluding other stakeholders. Luxury surf tourism operators achieve the highest returns if they can offer exclusive access to surf breaks so that their clients do not need to compete with crowds. In the Mentawai Islands of Indonesia, some surf resorts have created surf management plans to cap the number of liveaboards allowed, with help from local communities to enforce. The main narrative concerning local communities relates to livelihoods created through surf tourism. Locals of the Mentawai Islands sell woodcarvings to surfers and have also developed guesthouses, hence competing with nearby resorts providing affordable accommodation options and increasing crowds of visiting surfers.

Active contestations over control of access to key surfing sites were found in both countries examined. Interests of different stakeholder groups are similar across nations, but their strategies differ substantially between countries depending on cultures, land tenure systems and the history of surfing and surf tourism. Results apply to the entire nature outdoor and adventure tourism sector.