Ocean Literacy: Visits to Coastal Attractions

Visiting coastal attractions can influence the publics knowledge, awareness and behaviour around the coast and ocean. Having personal experiences of the coast and ocean can give connection and understanding, improving ocean literacy.

A 2022 Scottish Government survey on ocean literacy found that 93% of people had visited a coastal town over the previous 12 months, and 92% had visited a sandy beach. Other popular coastal habitat destinations were rocky shores (75% visited in previous 12 months), shingle/stony beaches (73%) and sand dunes (61%).

When considering coastal recreation, 22% of respondents had visited a coastal heritage site, 21% undertook sea/coastal bird/wildlife watching, and 7% had visited a marine-themed attraction (Scottish Government, 2022).

Studies have shown that experiential learning can be beneficial for adopting new environmental behaviours, especially if the experience comes with a period of reflection afterwards (Ballantyne et al, 2011). Coastal attractions (e.g. aquariums) can act as an 'entry point' for engaging visitors with the coastal environment, with visits to the marine environment shown to increase marine awareness and education (Schubel et al, 2009; Wyles et al, 2014).