The Honolulu Star Adviser wrote about the opening of the Center for Surf Research. The Hawaii news outlet interview Jess Ponting and talked about the stigma associated with an academic institution focused solely on surfing. They also discuss how valuable the data eventually generated by the Center for Surf Research will be for evaluating the impact of surf tourism on developing economies…
A link to the full article is HERE. Below is an excerpt of the article:
The SDSU research center has scheduled summits to bring together surfers, environmental organizations, tourism businesses and the small but growing wave of scholars studying surf economics. Ponting is arranging trips that will take students to places where tourism driven by surfers is helping alleviate poverty and protect the environment.
One of Ponting’s hopes is that connecting the different facets of the surf industry will carry over into helping governments in developing countries understand the surf crowd and develop plans to handle the hordes.