A Study of Marine Sport Tourism Development on Island – A Case Study of Jibei in Penghu, Taiwan

Marine sport tourism in Taiwan has become one of the popular intensive tours in recent years. However, related research has focused on the economic and social issues, which overlooks factors contributing to the successful development of sport tourism. The main purpose of this study is to analyze the success factors for the development of the island's marine-sport tourism using Jibei Island as an object for investigation. Through qualitative methods of investigation, we found that a successful development of marine-sport tourism for an island is attributes to: 1. the coupling of natural environment and a variety of water activities; 2. the infrastructures such as transportation of island; 3. the image of the island; and 4. the support from the government. The findings in this study not only provide local government with recommendations for the development of tourism industry, but also serve as references for relevant future research.