Are local fisheries important for marine tourism? A case study of the Swedish fishing village Träslövsläge

Coastal fishing fleets are declining in many parts of Europe. In Sweden, this has left many traditional fishing harbours with no or very few active fishers. This might have effects on the marine tourism industry where the existence of commercial fishing is part of the visitors’ tourism experience. In this paper in-depth interviews with local representatives for the tourism sector are combined with a questionnaire to 647 tourists visiting the Swedish harbour of Träslövsläge in 2020. A travel-cost analysis shows that tourists value the existence of fishing vessels to about 9 percent of the total value of the visit, while fishing architecture and a harbour with active commercial fisheries are lower valued. The importance of the fishing attributes varies substantially among tourists. From the interviews it can be concluded that the fishery is important for characterizing​ the village, but that the tourism experience also needs other activities such as restaurants.