Surfing spots give boost to economic growth: Study

‘Surfers are trendsetters, then tourists follow’

The discovery of a new surf spot allows a lucky board rider to commune with nature unfettered. Yet the inevitable influx of surfing hordes can also spur a burst of economic growth, according to new research.

A survey of more than 5,000 breaks in 146 countries suggests the discovery of high-quality surf can drive up economic growth by 2.2 percentage points a year in the surrounding area, according to a study co-authored by Sam Wills, an economist and lecturer at the University of Sydney. He says policymakers could use surf breaks as a way to create jobs and reduce poverty, especially in developing countries.

“We conducted four sets of experiments, and they all confirm that good waves significantly increase growth, particularly after recent discoveries and during El Nio years,” said Wills. With more than 35 million surfers estimated worldwide, new spots will “continue to be discovered and built; and will continue to grow in popularity as populous, wave-rich economies like Brazil and Indonesia consume more leisure,” he said.

In the spotlight

The research was inspired by a trip to Taghazout in Morocco as Wills sought a surfing holiday somewhere warm and quiet. As he flew in over the desert at sunset all was dark — except for one spot that blazed like central Sydney. On arrival, he discovered that the previously sleepy little fishing village had been overrun by surfers, and later decided to research similar global trends.

His work used satellite images of night-time light emissions from areas near surf breaks as a proxy for economic growth and tapped data from 1992 to 2013.