Searching for the perfect wave: Profiling surf tourists who visit the Mentawai Islands

Surfing tourism is emerging as a vital source of economic income and employment opportunities for remote communities in less developed countries. Yet little is known about the adventurous surfers themselves. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to profile surf tourists visiting the Mentawai Islands, Indonesia through an online questionnaire. The results of the research highlighted that many of the surfers travelling to the Mentawai Islands were different from the perceived stereotype of being well-educated middle-aged males, with high discretionary income and travelling on expensive prepaid packages. A key finding was that surf tourists on package holidays had only a slightly lower daily local expenditure (US$21) than independent travellers (US$22). In conclusion, economic linkages between surf tourists and the local community were present, and there was a trickle-down effect from both independent travellers and surfers on inclusive packages.