Author Description

Canadian Heritage and other agencies commissioned a study to assess the potential market for ecotourism in Alberta and British Columbia. The market assessment consisted of five major study components which are summarized in this report: a consumer telephone survey, an ecotourist mail survey, an ecotourism travel trade survey, an ecotourism market literature review, and a detailed examination of two popular activities, wildlife viewing and cultural experiences. The results reported include a profile of ecotourism consumers, travel preferences and patterns of ecotourists, the importance of natural settings and other factors in the ecotourism market, the linking of ecotourism travellers and their suppliers, the interest in Alberta and British Columbia as ecotourism destinations, barriers to ecotourism to those two provinces, and implications of the study for ecotourism product development.