What drives you to the sea? Animal rights, environmental protection and sensation seeking

Abstract

Marine environments are magnets for millions of tourists and recreationalists worldwide. This study aims to assess the relationships between individuals’ sensation and risk seeking, concerns about the environment and animal rights, and their interest in engaging in marine recreation during the visit to tourist destinations. Specifically, the paper proposes a five-stage ordinal logistic model and adapts three attitudinal scales - Animal Attitude, New Environmental Paradigm and Sensation Seeking - to explain the level of interest subjects have in pursuing five marine-based activities: jet skiing, whale watching, sea kayaking, underwater observation, and snorkelling. A comprehensive analysis of 1094 responses from European frequent travellers reveals differences in the background factors that explain their dissimilar focus on one activity or another. Such differences concern preferences for the more challenging water sports, which is explained by the desire for risk and excitement, while a more focused concern for animal welfare and the environment is associated with activities that involve contact with wildlife, e.g., whale watching and snorkelling. Results deliver insights for policy decision-makers to incentivise corporate commitment to the marine environment and its biodiversity in order to meet the bio-centric attitudes of tourists and recreationists.