Exploring maritime heritage, fishing and aquaculture tourism
Offer
Atlantic Fishing Tourism Network
Across the French, Spanish and Portuguese coasts, many initiatives showcase maritime professions through unique tourist experiences: fish market visits, boat trips with fishers, seafood cooking workshops, maritime festivals, visit to interpretative aquariums, and guided coastal walks. These activities are often run by fishers, associations, local authorities, or passionate entrepreneurs. They invite visitors to discover a living heritage, deeply rooted in the region’s history, skills and marine environment. While the offer is diverse, it still remains little known to the general public.
DEMAND
Visualizing Trends
In response to mass tourism, more and more people are seeking authentic, local and environmentally friendly experiences. Surveys conducted through the FISATUR project show strong interest in sea-related activities, especially those that help visitors better understand nature, maritime culture and fishing products. Nature oriented boat excursions and tastings at oyster farms are particularly popular, offering a genuine connection with local people and places. This kind of small-scale tourism meets a growing desire for meaningful, rooted experiences.
Fishing and aquaculture tourism: a market in the making
Coastal tourism linked to the fishing and aquaculture sector and their value chain is an emerging sector, still taking shape. Thanks to the FISATUR project, the first regional mapping of such initiatives has been created along the Atlantic coast. It provides insights into who the local actors are, which activities are most attractive, and what visitors expect. This work is key to supporting local initiatives, making the offer more visible, sustainable and accessible, while encouraging stronger cooperation between tourism, culture and the marine economy. It’s a crucial step in turning the sea into a shared development engine.
