ABOUT WORLD SURF CITIES NETWORK
A Surf City is an urban area where surfing, surf culture and employment in industries based around the surfing sector form a significant part of the base economic, social and cultural basis of the society and where there is a surfing industry formally recognized by the city government.
The aspects to be borne in mind in a Surf City are: location, natural resources and population size, industry (design and production of surfboards, textiles, accessories and equipment and retail industry), services (surfing tourism, surfing schools, surfing competitions and events, education and training about surfing, surfing media, the property market around surfing, etc.), surf culture (number of surfers and surfing associations and federations, surf culture, history and surfing icons of the city), and recognition by the city government of the importance of the surfing industry and its promotion.
WHY A WORLD NETWORK OF SURF CITIES
The WSCN aims to boost local economic activity (industry, tourism and local employment) through surfing by exchanging knowledge and ideas among surf cities and cooperating on projects. The Network is led by the city of Donostia-San Sebastián that has wide-ranging experience in innovation management.
Nine Surf Cities in Europe, America, Africa and Australia make up the Network. They all share an interest in improving local competitiveness through surfing.
AIMS
- Sharing knowledge, carrying out exchanges, generating synergies and new ideas that create local wealth around surfing.
- Boosting local economic activity (industry, tourism and local jobs) through surfing by exchanging knowledge and ideas and cooperating among surf cities on projects.
- Encouraging local development through surfing: economically developed but sustainable cities; surfing-sector companies that innovate in processes, services and management; surfing as a generator de tourism and local wealth; consolidating a qualified professional surfing sector; internationalising local surfing companies; surfing as a model of social inclusion, etc.
STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONING OF THE NETWORK OF CITIES
The city of Donostia-San Sebastián encouraged the creation of the World Surf Cities Network and heads the technical secretariat that coordinates its activities. All the cities in the Network form part of the Steering Committee.
The cities in the Network hold an annual meeting to present the annual results and to approve the activity plan for the following year. The event to launch the Network took place in Donostia-San Sebastián in November 2011.
The Network has a strategic plan and an annual action plan.
FORMING PART OF THE WSCN
The World Surf Cities Network is open to admitting new cities that aim, through a evolutionary, transformative process, to become an international benchmark thanks to the local development of Surfing, and its public and private actors.
It is also open to establishing cooperation with other entities and organisations linked to surfing, in order to create and reinforce social, economic and environmental initiatives that benefit member cities and society in general.
If your city is interested in forming part of the network, get in touch with us by writing to the e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.