Concept, segmentation and research potential of fishing tourism in Malaysia

Fishing tourism which is one of the most popular forms of alternative tourism in Western countries is still new in Malaysia. This paper examines the concept and segmentation aspects as well as the potential of research on fishing tourism in this country. From a conceptual point of view, the relationship between fishing, recreation and tourism is explored, in addition to explaining the concepts and categories of fishing tourists. Segmentation wise, three segments, namely, boat operators of fishing tourism, profile of fishing tourists and fishing locations are discussed. Furthermore, the relationship between the model of tourism development level and stage as proposed by Carter and Stronza (2014) and fishing tourism are also described. The final part of this paper presents the issues and research potential of fishing tourism in Malaysia.