Parks And Protected Areas

10 Pages 2503 Words

time restraints suggest that such a tool will never exist, creating a situation of greater complexity (Worboys et al., 1995).
A major challenge in this battle is sustainability; how protected areas can be managed effectively for tourism while still maintaining their natural values; the assets that attract tourists, and still make sure they are protected for future generations (Cole, 1996). Though the relation between sustainable tourism and protected areas is complex and sometimes adversarial, tourism is always a critical component to consider in the establishment and management of protected areas (Atkins & Altins, 1999). Ensuring that tourism follows a sustainable path will require clear leadership and enhanced partnerships at all levels. Partnerships, particularly between the tourism industry, government agencies, and private companies who are working in protected areas under permit have already begun to form (Dearden & Rollins, 2002).
In order to facilitate further discussion of how tourism has impacted protected areas, it is important to understand the following terms as they relate to the subject matter (Brayley & Searle, 2000).
What is tourism?
Tourism is an industry and a dimension of leisure (Brayley & Searle, 1993). Tourism can be thought of as the activities, interactions, and impacts of individuals or groups engaged in travel away from their home communities for leisure or business purposes (Brayley & Searle, 2000). Tourism is the world’s largest industry. It already employs one sixteenth of the world’s work force and generates annual worldwide revenue of over 2.5 trillion Canadian dollars. The tourism industry includes companies, individuals and organizations that provide travel and transportation, services, lodging and accommodation, food and beverage services, entertainment and recreation, recreation centers, camp grounds, souvenirs and gifts, communications, and information services (Van der Druim & Caalde...