Mariculture in Natural Environments: Tourists’ Attitudes Towards Aquaculture During Marine Tours in Oban, Scotland

Mausam Budhathoki (), Alexandra Pounds, Jad Abi Younes, Anastasios Baltadakis and David C. Little
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Mausam Budhathoki: Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK
Alexandra Pounds: Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK
Jad Abi Younes: Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK
Anastasios Baltadakis: LAMAR S.A., 851 01 Sgourou, Greece
David C. Little: Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 2, 1-18

Abstract: Aquaculture and tourism can both be important industries for economic development, particularly in isolated geographies endowed with natural beauty. However, spatial conflict can arise, particularly along scenic coastlines, such as that in Oban, Scotland. This area is notable for the frequent overlap between marine tours and cage culture sites, with tours passing by or near these aquaculture locations. This study aims to understand whether tourists who encounter aquaculture operations during these tours have positive attitudes toward aquaculture–tourism integration, which refers to the favourable perception and acceptance of the coexistence of aquaculture and tourism activities, and whether this exposure influences their intention to consume locally farmed aquatic products. A face-to-face survey was conducted to recruit 200 tourists who experienced marine tours in Oban, Scotland. Hierarchical cluster analysis identified three types of tourists based on tourism motivation: (1) Multiple motivations, (2) “Relaxers”, and (3) “Outgoing nature enthusiasts”. Among the three tourist segments, the “Relaxers” were particularly unfamiliar with the concept of farming aquatic food. In general, the majority of tourists were positive about being exposed to aquaculture during marine tours. The results of the structural equation modelling analysis indicated that attitudes towards being exposed to aquaculture during marine tours mediate the relationship between attitudes towards aquaculture and the intention to eat locally farmed aquatic food. Motivational tourism factors, socialisation, and learning positively and significantly influenced attitudes towards being exposed to aquaculture during marine tours. Compared to age, gender, education, income, and travel frequency, only tourists’ dietary patterns significantly influenced behavioural intention. The findings suggest that aquaculture might serve as a potential site for social knowledge exchange, which might be crucial not only for tourism to be successful but also for promoting aquaculture’s social acceptability. The results can be used to inform policymakers, marketers, and aquaculture/tourism practitioners to promote sustainable aquaculture tourism in Scotland or similar sites where tourism and aquaculture coexist.

Keywords: attitude; intention; tourism; fish farming; marine boat; multi-use of marine space; sociodemographic and lifestyle factors (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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