The sport of surfing is gaining increasing importance in the context of tourism. Surf tourism has emerged as one promising product of certain regions worldwide. Surfing, as a sport and as a lifestyle, has been grounded in surf culture, which is recognized as a potential attraction factor for certain surf destinations. Although previous research has been undertaken in the field of surf tourism, the impact that the visitors' perceptions of a destination's surf culture have on the overall destination image and on loyalty towards that destination is not represented in the peer-reviewed literature. Therefore, a research model is proposed and tested, aiming to contribute to the advancement of knowledge regarding the relevance and influence of surf culture. A survey questionnaire was carried out among visitors to a surf destination in Portugal -Peniche (N = 430). The model was tested using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Results reveal that the perceptions of surf culture contribute to a better overall destination image and a higher loyalty towards the destination, with the overall image also having a positive impact on loyalty. However, different components of surf culture have distinct impacts on overall image and loyalty. The study provides important theoretical contributions in terms of surf culture and the components of a surf destination image, as well as offers useful insights for the development of effective management strategies for surf tourism destinations.
Creative tourism experiences constitute clear examples of the experience economy principles. They address new tourists' necessities. They can activate tangible and intangible resources, contribute to the development of local skills while offering the chance to engage with the overall social agents of the tourism system addressing key tourism challenges of the 21st century. Over the past few years, surf tourism has aroused the interest of many people, and surf tourists are increasingly more experienced, demanding and seeking a wide range of engaging experiences. To connect surf tourism to creative tourism, the authors developed a model focused on a creative surf experience. The chapter presents several contributions to the development of creative experiences of surf tourism where surf destinations can focus on and develop a greater audience that searches for such experiences.
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