The swell of surfing tourism

SURFING has emerged as an X-factor in the Tweed Shire's economy, after the Gold Coast estimated the sport injected billions of dollars into the city each year.

A recent Surf Industry Development Report, which was a world first, found $2 billion in activity was attributable to the surfing industry on the Gold Coast, making it the city's third biggest industry.

The report estimated the sport generated up to a further $3 billion in output and created 21,760 employment positions paying $1 billion per annum in wages and salaries.

Jim Wilson, General Manger of Connecting Southern Gold Coast said the report showed the southern Gold Coast's economy relied heavily on its pristine beaches.

“That is why we all must respect and not tamper with what nature has created. We need our region to continue to offer up waves of excellence and consistency, as this is what the surfing industry and other businesses depend on to underpin the true surfing experience on the Gold Coast,” Mr Wilson said.

Read the whole thing here....

Nias: The Golden Pig

The Golden Pig

Documentary about the island of Nias. Provided to us by Australian film director Joel Peterson. The film showcases the dangers of modern surf colonialism, focusing on the impacts it can have on native populations.

The waves at Lagundri Bay on the Indonesian island of Nias are what dreams are made of. The Golden Pig highlights incredible early footage from surf explorer Kevin Peterson along with "first contact" interviews with locals of Nias.

The current state of Nias, surfer paradise or culture destroyed by surfing, remains debated. There is no question that surfing had a profound influence on this community.

$300 to fly with your surfboard!

After a decade of booming and relatively cheap surf travel, prices are quickly rising. While good for reducing the overall carbon footprint of traveling surfers, increased prices may have dramatic affects on the surfer-based economies of many "towns that surfing built".

This just in from Wired Magazine: Delta jacks their surfboard price up to $300 per board for travel!


Surfers feel singled out because golf bags, skis and other equipment still flies for free.

Check out a petition on the issue here.

Cost of oil & gas affecting surfers

Despite the annoying title this MSNBC article provides an interesting perspective on about how high petroleum costs are impacting surfboard production costs, international surf travel and even local surf visits. As surfers become more discerning about their surf checks and visits Surfline has seen an upswing in subscriptions.

An interesting quote relevant to the use of the Travel Cost Method to estimate the economic value of surfing at Trestles:

"The high gas prices still haven't dissuaded some die-hard surfers from enjoying their sport — expensive or not.

As the sun set over San Clemente's famed Trestles surf break on a recent summer day, Alan Harrison peeled off his wet suit and swore he would never choose money over surfing.

"If you love it, you can't change it for anybody or anything," said the 23-year-old Harrison, who spends $40 a week to get to Trestles from his inland home. "Even if gas went to $10 a gallon, I'd still do it. I'd find a way. It's an addiction."

Towns that Surfing Built (then Ruined?)

Fueled by the dream of finding that next perfect, secret and empty wave, some surfers are intrepid travelers who have a famous history of "going feral" for months in uncharted tropical locals. Often these discoveries remain secret for a few years before word gets out, then begins the quickly accelerating process of development. Tourism researcher Richard Bulter described this as the "Tourism Area Life Cycle" .

I call them "Towns That Surfing Built". Some towns that surfing built have become beautiful places to live and to visit where it appears that community is thriving. In others the Life Cycle takes a turn for the worst and these towns become overbuilt, polluted, riddled with crime and no longer desirable. Surfers then move on to the next place.

I am certainly not the first person to think about this...

Barilotti wrote about it in the Surfer's Journal in 2002 in an article called "Lost Horizons: Surf Colonialism in the 21st Century" and I found an article by northern-Californian surfer Dane Larson with a similar theme, "The Making of a Surf Ghetto". I am sure there are more...

We are going to make and effort to chronical the places that surfing built and discuss their trajectory and try to understand why they evolve the way that do.

Peru. Surfing the next wave of.... surfing

Intrepid surfer having been traveling around the globe looking for the next undiscovered surf spot since Bruce Brown's 1966 classic Endless Summer.

Surfers are often the pioneers of coastal areas. They start as secret spots, become popular amongst surfers and then trigger a wave of tourism. As a result surfers have become a very popular coastal tourism marketing tool. Enter Peru.

In Peru.....surfing has swept the nation recently in a pop cultural frenzy. On the wide boulevards of Lima, billboards are covered with the fresh-faced ranks of Peruvian surfers endorsing cellphones, beer and soft drinks. Surfing contests are all the rage.

Read the NY Times article....