A critical analysis of the spending behaviour of recreational fishing in South Africa

Abstract

The South African tourism industry is an ever-changing industry, because of the needs of tourists. This makes the tourism industry very competitive, the industry needs to provide for all these needs and change along with the tourists. Identifying new or existing trends and needs in the tourism industry are extremely important to ensure a growing and competing tourism industry. Internationally recreational fishing forms a large part of the tourism industry, contributing to the economy. Due to the lack in literature regarding the spending behaviour of recreational fishing in South Africa, a need was identified to determine the significance of recreational fishing in South Africa. The goal of the study was therefore to do a critical analysis of the spending behaviour of recreational fishing in South Africa. An extensive literature study led to the purpose of this thesis and it revealed that very little research was conducted regarding recreational fishing in South Africa. The definitions of recreational fishing and fishing tourism were analysed as well as the distinguishing features of recreational fishing. The study indicated that different recreational fishing disciplines exist and that the technical abilities of each of these disciplines are different. Stakeholders may experience difficulty when deciding what to offer and how to ensure the sustainability and growth of each these different fishing disciplines. Furthermore, it was established that different stakeholders, including public and private stakeholders, are an essential part of recreational fishing. Literature revealed that tourists, as well as recreational anglers, are influenced by different motives when deciding and making decisions regarding their spending behaviour. Determining the spending behaviour of recreational fishing can provide a more viable management strategy, which in turn will lead to a more profitable recreational fishing industry and fishing tourism industry. Data was collected by means of a self-administrated questionnaire, which was distributed to respondents at the Bloemhof Bonanza 2016 as well as by e-mailing the questionnaire to various members of different recreational fishing and social fishing clubs. A total of 1319 questionnaires were used during the analysis. Selected statistical techniques were employed to achieve this objective. Factor analysis was performed on the items for measuring the motives to partake in recreational fishing as well as the different fishing disciplines. From this, four motivational factors were revealed and five different fishing disciplines. An ANOVA as well as MANOVA test was completed between the motivational factors and the fishing disciplines to determine the spending behaviour of the different fishing disciplines. Finally, a Chi-squared test was used to determine the differences in the spending behaviour of the various fishing disciplines. The results of the study confirmed that relaxation and escape are an essential part in recreational fishing when determining how and when to spend money. The study confirmed that variables such as occupation, group size, frequency of travel and home language do have an impact on the different fishing disciplines’ spending behaviour. This research makes important contributions theoretically, methodologically and practically. The critical analysis of the spending behaviour of recreational fishing in South Africa indicated what motivates anglers to take part in recreational fishing and it showed the different recreational fishing disciplines. It also indicated that recreational anglers are influenced mostly by behavioural factors rather than socio-demographic factors. Theoretically, this study is unique since it is one of the first studies to indicate the importance of the spending behaviour of recreational fishing in South Africa and provides opportunities for future research. Methodologically, this study developed a reliable and valid questionnaire for the measurement of the spending behaviour of recreational fishing in South Africa. The questionnaire can be employed to determine other aspects of recreational fishing since it had such a wide coverage of different aspects of recreational fishing. The practical contribution of this study is the identification of a new market in the tourism industry which can be used by marketers and recreational fishing stakeholders to create, maintain and increase the sustainable development of the recreational fishing and fishing tourism industry.