Fishing for more tourists:An empirical investigation of tourist anglers’ preferences for angling site quality

Using a stated choice experiment we empirically investigate which attributes of angling sites are important for attracting German tourist anglers to Denmark. We focus on the particularly dedicated anglers who choose a holiday destination at least partly based on recreational angling opportunities. Using a Latent Class modelling approach, we find that preferences are heterogeneous across different angler segments. Three distinct segments of tourist anglers are identified: “catch oriented” (57%), “nature oriented” (24%) and “trophy oriented” (19%). All three angler segments have strong preferences for water quality, but they differ with respect to catch preferences and preferences for social interaction at the angling site. To attract tourist anglers, an angling site manager may use this information to target marketing efforts towards certain segments of tourists that prefer the type and quality of angling characteristics of the manager's angling site(s). Additionally, the manager may seek to adjust and improve the angling sites in a way that suits the preferences of specific segments.
Using a stated choice experiment we empirically investigate which attributes of angling sites are important for attracting German tourist anglers to Denmark. We focus on the particularly dedicated anglers who choose a holiday destination at least partly based on recreational angling opportunities. Using a Latent Class modelling approach, we find that preferences are heterogeneous across different angler segments. Three distinct segments of tourist anglers are identified: “catch oriented” (57%), “nature oriented” (24%) and “trophy oriented” (19%). All three angler segments have strong preferences for water quality, but they differ with respect to catch preferences and preferences for social interaction at the angling site. To attract tourist anglers, an angling site manager may use this information to target marketing efforts towards certain segments of tourists that prefer the type and quality of angling characteristics of the manager's angling site(s). Additionally, the manager may seek to adjust and improve the angling sites in a way that suits the preferences of specific segments.