Residents' attitudes to tourism in central British Columbia, Canada

Traditionally dependent on extractive resource industries, communities located in peripheral regions of British Columbia are searching for economic diversification opportunities. Valemount, a small mountain community in central British Columbia, has recently attracted two large-scale resort development proposals. Based on a survey of local residents in Valemount, this paper examines residents' attitudes to tourism-induced socio-economic and recreational opportunities, and the future of tourism development. Linkages are explored between community attachment, community satisfaction, community concerns and tourism-related attitudes. Results indicate that the majority of residents are positive about tourism development. While resident satisfaction with current opportunities is low, and some residents are concerned about the negative impacts of tourism development, residents perceive that the potential benefits of tourism development outweigh its negative impacts. The positive reactions to tourism development should be seen in the context of declining importance of forestry and the lack of other economic opportunities. Research results serve as baseline information for monitoring resident attitudes in the future, and as a basis for initiating local level consultation processes for future tourism projects.