An Estimation of the Economic Impact of Surfing in the United Kingdom

The academic community's interest in surf tourism continues to grow with important contributions being made to our understanding of culture, economic behavior, and impact at specific sites. However, there was little understood about the impact surfers and surf tourism have on the overall economy of the UK. Given the estimated 500,000 surfers in the UK in 2007 by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and given unique access to a comprehensive database of UK surfers it has been possible to go some way toward correcting this data shortage. By analyzing 2,159 questionnaire responses, and after taking account of economic multipliers, a total contribution to the UK economy by domestic surfers of ?4.95 billion with an average direct spend of ?2,980 per year on surfing-related expenditure may be estimated making surfing an important contributor to UK tourism and the UK economy.