The Relationship between Visual Satisfaction and Water Clarity and Quality Management in Tourism Fishing Ports

Abstract

Visual satisfaction of the tourists with a water body is strongly influenced by water clarity, which is in turn influenced by a number of water quality parameters. Visual satisfaction thus stands to benefit from having a water quality management tool that results in better water clarity. A Clarity Suitability Index of Water Quality (CSIWQ), derived from clarity suitability curves of selected water quality parameters, can allow estimation of optimal values for these parameters, while ensuring high visual satisfaction among tourists. The present study used sampling and survey methodologies to investigate water clarity and quality at five tourism fishing ports; simultaneously, tourists' visual satisfaction with a water body was assessed through a questionnaire based on their perceptions. The relationship between tourists' visual satisfaction and water clarity was found to be positive and strong, with water clarity having predictive power of 74.2%. The study showed that DO, BOD, TP, and SS were the most critical parameters for water clarity. A continued product approach of CSIWQ was found to be most appropriate for describing the relationship between water clarity and these four parameters. This enabled a CSIWQ Index value to be calculated. With a CSIWQ value of 0.6, water clarity would be more than 2.08 m, and tourists would experience very high satisfaction. CSI curves showed that DO would preferably be 9.0 mg/L, and BOD, TP, and SS less than 0.5 mg/L, 0.12 mg/L, and 45.0 mg/L, respectively. The model thus produced valuable insights for assessing and improving water quality and ensuring high levels of visual satisfaction among tourists in tourism fishing ports. This model identified only four parameters but could be improved by ensuring that other water quality parameters were included, to encourage an increase in the number of tourists and to include monitoring of more pollutant sources.

Angling tourism: A state-of-the-art review

“…Lam- González et al (2021) state that anglers' satisfaction is an essential indicator of expenditure levels and destination loyalty. At the same time, a more pristine environment directly improves satisfaction, emphasising the importance of proper environmental management (see also Lee, 2016). Stensland et al (2021a) also confirm that satisfaction is the most significant component affecting destination loyalty, while image and place attachment contribute to loyalty.…”

Identifying indicators of aesthetics in the Great Barrier Reef for the purposes of management

“…Visibility, or water clarity, was also highly influential on ratings of aesthetic quality [61, 64–67]. Clear water has previously been found to increase visual satisfaction [64, 65, 68, 69]. People may have associated positive experiences with water condition, where experiences with clear water have been more positive than in less clear water (e.g.…”

Consequences of changing water clarity on the fish and fisheries of the Laurentian Great Lakes

“…These changes in water clarity can strongly influence lake ecosystems and the services that they provide. For example, reduced water clarity has been shown to degrade property values (Clapper and Caudill 2014;Liao et al 2016) and erode recreational activities, including tourism associated with snorkeling, swimming, and boating (Keeler et al 2012;Lee 2016). Likewise, altered water clarity holds great potential to affect the behavior, distribution, and production of fish populations and fisheries that they might support (e.g., Lester et al 2004;Lehtiniemi et al 2005;Tucker et al 2012), which in turn, could have major social, nutritional, and economic consequences (McIntyre et al 2016;Lynch et al 2016).…”