According to the website Future Market Insights, the global tourism industry is worth a staggering $10.5 trillion and growing. Among the most visited destinations are France and Spain, which offer plenty of natural beauty and developed cities with a food culture to match. But there’s one sector of the tourism industry where they don’t rank highly: fishing tourism.
A growing social impact
As it stands, the fishing tourism industry is worth $72 billion a year, a figure that is expected to triple in the next decade. The numbers speak for themselves, and we can see the increasing influence of fishing in mainstream popular culture. There are countless social media accounts with influencers documenting their fishing trips, while television is awash with shows like Deadliest Catch and Wicked Tuna, which offer an insight into life at sea.
The influence can also be seen in the gaming industry, with casinos offering games such as Fishin Frenzy slot to bring the increasingly popular industry into the digital world. So what is behind the rise in popularity and where do those looking for the best fishing holidays go?
Growth factors
One of the reasons behind the rise of the fishing tourism industry is a preference for an activity among tourists. More and more people are choosing to leave the city behind and spend their time, usually on tours, doing something different such as fishing, trekking or other adventure sports. With many tourists working and living in highly urbanised and industrialised cities or areas, the attraction of being close to nature has increased.
Technology, particularly social media, has made fishing trips, or even day trips, much more accessible. Travel companies can offer trips to remote locations, while potential travellers can access Facebook or Instagram to get a feel for what to expect, with influencers detailing their daily fishing activities. Another reason for the recent success of the fishing tourism industry is the diversification of fishermen’s activities into areas such as eco-tourism.
Favourite destinations
The United States leads the way in terms of market share, accounting for almost a quarter of all fishing tourism. Major tour operators in North America offer a wide range of activities for tourists to participate in, including fly fishing, saltwater fishing and big game fishing, to name a few. The type of fishing a visitor chooses will affect where they go and the type of fish they can catch.
Another quarter is split between Australia, Japan and Germany, with each destination offering one of the must-haves for a fishing holiday: warm weather. India is another country with a large market share at 16%. Its long coastline and many rivers make it an ideal destination, and one that is cheaper to travel through than other locations.
Photos of amateur fishermen have become memes in recent years, but the figures behind the fishing tourism industry prove it is no joke. It’s a trip that many would love to take, and projected figures for the next decade suggest that it won’t be a short-lived trend.