The Concept of Environmental Supply in National Parks

Abstract

This study targets commercial tour operator’s conceptualization of environmental supply in Canadian Rocky Mountain national parks. Environmental supply includes natural features, physical attributes, management initiatives and/or governance policies that influence environmental conservation. Environmental supply, therefore, will include the ecosystems of the park destination, visitor education and interpretive programs, zoning and access, environmental impact assessment (EIA) procedures, policies and guidelines, and any other characteristics and initiatives that impact the conservation and/or preservation of nature at a visitor-centered site. How commercial tour operators respond to and manage these for environmental protection in a conservation environment will determine tourism sustainability at the destination. This evaluation includes presentation of the results of 16 one-on-one field interviews from an illustrative sample of 85 commercial tour operators (managers) within Banff and Jasper national park boundaries (from June to November, 2011). Each interview included nine formal questions, ranging from a description of the types of activities included in tours to actual or perceived limitations placed on operators when locating within a national park. Three of the questions targeted specifically tour operator’s understanding of environmental supply. Results are discussed and grouped for presentation.