Importance-performance analysis of the fishing tourism service structure: Recreational anglers’ preferences on the remote salmon river of Teno in Finland

Abstract

Fishing tourism is an important means of livelihood in the northern peripheries. Along the River Teno on the northern border of Norway and Finland, which has had the largest wild Atlantic salmon stock complex in the world, fishing tourism is threatened. The salmon population has declined, challenging fishing tourism as a livelihood. For the future development and continuation of fishing tourism, understanding the preferences of fishing tourists is increasingly important. We apply importance-performance analysis to examine the contribution of the perceived importance and the performance of attributes to the overall satisfaction of fishing tourists with their trips to the River Teno. Overall satisfaction was most affected by the perceived performance of the catch and the fishing permits. The results support fishing tourism actors in identifying potential key areas for development and assessing the potential of non-fishing-related services that may contribute to the future livelihood of the area.