Rhonda Koster

Appreciative Inquiry and Rural Tourism: A Case Study from Canada

Abstract Many Canadian, resource-based communities are facing an economic crisis and often turn to tourism for economic diversification and some recent trends in the growth of tourism employment in Canadas rural areas suggest that such choices are well founded. Despite positive growth indicators, rural tourism is criticized for several reasons, including issues with employment, ownership and lack of understanding of the industry. Although much has been written on the development of community-based tourism and its potential to address such concerns, much of the discussion remains at theoretical levels, with few examinations of practical frameworks for rural communities in crisis, such as the current experience in North-western Ontario, Canada. Enquiries into tourisms contribution to rural community economic development identified two gaps concerning how rural tourism can be a viable industry in resource-dependent communities and how to embed the industry within a community seeking alternatives from a deficit/crisis context. Interviews with a tourism operator in rural Manitoba, Canada seemed to provide an answer to both of these questions, through the application of Appreciative Inquiry (AI) to rural tourism development. Such an examination indicates that although such an approach does not solve the issues, it does provide a new lens through which to understand the potential for tourism in rural communities.

A Regional Approach to Rural Tourism Development : Towards a Conceptual Framework for Communities in Transition

Abstract Considerable research has been conducted which examines the role and growing importance of tourism as an economic diversification strategy for rural areas. The purpose of this article is to examine how the concept of region is understood in studies of rural tourism development. An examination of the literature reveals that while the importance of regional approaches to tourism development are recognized, little research has examined the relationships between the communities that form the region and how that impacts regional participation. Instead, various theoretical conceptualizations (cultural economy, social capital, institutional thickness, agglomeration and clustering) are employed which help to define competition and competitive advantage between destination regions and the capacity to undertake tourism development at the community level. This study reveals that while conceptualizations of region are limited, various frameworks of analysis may be useful for understanding inter-community collaboration and participation in regional tourism development when combined within a network analysis framework.

People, Places, Protected Areas and Tourism: Place Attachment in Rossport, Ontario, Canada

Abstract Place attachment is spatially and temporally anchored in the local context, affecting how residents perceive proposed development strategies. As such, we examine, through the analysis of 18 interviews conducted with residents from Rossport, Ontario, Canada, how place attachment and historical antecedents (or lack thereof) have influenced the acceptance of, or opposition to, conservation and tourism strategies in and near the village of Rossport, Ontario. The analysis of the interviews suggests that some of the resistance and scepticism towards conservation and tourism initiatives by long-term residents is rooted in historical approaches to regional development strategies, while a lack of awareness of historical events prevents newer residents, who often supported these initiatives, from understanding the legacy of these proposals in the community. Moreover, analysis indicates that sharing the stories of the community and place attachment through video interviews provides an opportunity to promote social cohesion and a place attachment between long-term residents and more recent amenity migrants.