Challenges associated with implementing discriminatory pricing: the case of international tourist anglers in New Zealand

Abstract

ABSTRACT With growing numbers of tourist-angler arrivals globally it is increasingly important to understand how factors such as licence price may impact anglers’ destination choice, and how this may differ among different source markets. Little research has focused on the impacts of discriminatory licencing systems where non-resident anglers are charged a higher fee than resident anglers. This study reports on a survey of 749 non-resident anglers in New Zealand, and explores how they have reacted to the recent introduction of a non-resident surcharge. We investigate perceived licence value within a discriminatory pricing regime, exploring behavioural and socio-demographic variables, and underlying beliefs that influence this. Findings suggest that changes to the licence fee can have some effect on angler perceptions of value and intentions to revisit. Importantly, angler reactions are not uniform, varying according to origin and angler profile. We explore and discuss the possible management implications of this heterogeneity for the application of discriminatory pricing in angling tourism.