EFTI Coastal, Marine and Water-Based Tourism Program Area

COASTAL, MARINE AND WATER-BASED TOURISM

Program Focus

To provide research expertise pertaining to coastal, marine and water-based (rivers, lakes, springs, etc.) tourism planning and development.
To measure and understand the public’s beliefs, attitudes, intentions and behaviors as they utilize and enjoy water based attractions, parks, beaches, marinas, piers, wildlife-refuges and associated activities such as fishing, boating, SCUBA, beaching, surfing, bird watching, etc.
To document economic benefits as well as inform policy formulation for coastal and marine resources management, including rivers, lakes and estuarine environments in Florida and beyond.

Research Areas

Water-based activity participation and demand
Coastal and marine fishing, boating, and beaching: behavior and attitudes of participants
Management of coastal parks, beaches, refuges and protected areas
Impacts of tourism and recreation on coastal and marine environments
Coastal fisheries management
Coastal and marine tourism planning
Economic impact of parks, beaches, rivers, and associated tourism and recreational activities
Comprehensive planning and future demand projections for coastal activities

Research Projects

Rainbow River Environmental Study (2011-2012)
Florida Public Beach Access: Gulf Peninsula County Reports (2010)
The Operations and Economics of the For-Hire Fishing Fleets of the South Atlantic States and the Atlantic Coast of Florida (2009-2011)
A Stated Preference Choice Model Approach to Understanding Angler Preferences for Various Fishing Trip Options (2009)
Florida Public Beach Access: Panhandle County Reports (2008)
Mapping Florida Public Beach Access Sites (2007)
Evaluating Suwannee River Water Management District Recreational Programs: Phase I (2007) & Phase II (2009)
Countywide Waterways Master Plan for Alachua County, Florida (2006-2007)
Recreational Fisheries Extension Outreach to the People of Florida (2006)
Implication of US population Growth for Recreational Fishing (2000)
Development of an Economic Impact Assessment Methodology for Occurrence of Red Tide: Sarasota County, Florida (1999)
Operations and Economics of the Charter and Party Boat Fleets of the Eastern Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Coasts (1999)
Modeling the Effects of Fisheries Regulations and Trip Attributes on Angler Behavior: Florida Coastal Regions (1998)
Social Science and Historical Perspective of the Saltwater Fishing Resources of Palm Beach County, Florida (1998)
Access to the Coast in Florida (1995)
Human and Environmental Dimensions of the Recreational Use of Blue Run and Rainbow Springs State Park, Florida (1994)
Assessing Angler Preference for Management Actions Directed at Marine Recreational Fisheries (1993)
Florida Public Beach Access Inventory with Evaluation and Needs Assessment (1993)
Recreational Value of Near-Shore Species for different Regions of Florida (1992)
Socioeconomic Impact Monitoring of Artificial Reefs in Florida (1992)
Regional Analysis of Marine Recreational Fisheries Participation and Attitudes about Fisheries Management (1992)
Graduate Student Research
Sample Reports

Program Coordinator: Stephen M. Holland, Ph.D.

Dr. Stephen Holland has conducted research in five national park service areas, nine state parks, two national wildlife refuges, several rivers, many Florida counties, beach accesses and marinas along the entire coast of Florida. He is a long-term voting member of the Gulf of Mexico Fishing Management Council Socioeconomic Assessment Panel. He has served as a specialist for two Sea Grant Programs. He is a consultant to NOAA to recommend changes on charter boat surveys and methods in all US coastal states, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. He has published articles in the Coastal Management Journal, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Tourism Management, Marine Fisheries Review, Fisheries, North American Journal of Fisheries Management, and Trends in Park Practice. His international presentations include Brazil, Jordan, Switzerland, Canada, Scotland, Barbados, Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Mexico. He also led a group of college students on a 4 week ecotourism trip to Australia and the Great Barrier Reef.

Graduate Student Research

Evaluating a water conservation education program: A mental models approach (Ting-Bing Wu, Ph.D. Research: 2009)
Boater compliance behavior in manatee conservation zones: Recreation specialization, attitudes and situational factors (John Jett, Ph.D. Research: 2007)
Life satisfaction and alternative lifestyle choices: Cruising as a lifestyle process (Carolin Meisel, Ph.D. Research: 2007)
Human-induced noise impacts on boaters at Waldo Lake, Oregon (Joseph Kuhn, M.S. Research: 2004)
Recreation specialization and environmental behaviors: An exploratory analysis among scuba divers (Louisa Meyer, M.S. Research: 2002)
Influence of residency and activity style on conflict and tolerance on a western river (Jamie Mendelsohn, M.S. Research: 2001)
Factors associated with satisfaction of recreational users of the Ichetucknee river (Gary Paulauskas, M.S. Research: 2001)
Factors associated with the satisfaction of non-consumptive wildlife-oriented recreational users at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (Alicia Eidam, M.S. Research: 1996)
Use levels, encounters, satisfaction, and perceived crowding among recreation visitors to the Rainbow River (Heidi Billington, M.S. Research: 1995)
Graduate Student Research (All Program Areas)

Sample Reports (Executive Summary)