Identifying and Determining how a First Nation's Community can engage in Tourism
Shane Hartman, MA NRES Candidate
Through this research, I will seek information that will allow me to address how a First Nation's community engages in tourism. The purpose carries with it the need to understand: who is interested in tourism and how widespread are those interests; what types of interaction are community members willing and interested in having with tourists; and, what specific benefits and impacts are they interested in and concerned about.
In seeking answers to these questions, I am using a mixture of social science techniques including an Information Discovery Tour, community meetings and semi standardized interviews. I conducted an Information Discovery Tour over the summer of 2007, visiting various First Nation tourism sites to the west and south of Prince George. The data gathered on the tour will be used with my research to help Tl'azt'en community members gain insight into the types and scales of First Nation tourism sites currently operating in British Columbia. Once a foundation of knowledge is established Tl'azt'enne will then be in a better position to answer the previously mentioned questions, and therefore determine whether or not tourism is right for them.
The methods of my research could be easily modified to work with any community wishing to develop tourism. My research will be conducted over a period of two years, and shared with various First Nation groups upon completion.
Research Products:
Posters:
• Tl'azt'en Perspectives on Tourism, May 2008
© Tl'azt'en Nation and the University of Northern BC CURA - Partnering for Sustainable Resource Management, 2005
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