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› Environmental Tourism - Nature Tourism - Ecotourism
Updated 06/2010
Environmental Tourism - Nature Tourism - Ecotourism
Contents
- About Ecotourism
- Economic Value of Nature Tourism - Ecotourism
- Examples of Sites that Combine Nature and Marketing
- Information Resources on Nature Tourism - Ecotourism
- Related MRSC Pages
About Nature Tourism - Ecotourism
Environmental tourism, ecotourism, or nature tourism provides an opportunity to visit undisturbed natural areas, scenic vistas, and observe plants and wildlife. Washington state offers many opportunities for local governments to promote their natural environments to visitors. While maximizing the economic, environmental, and social benefits from ecotourism, the local environment must be protected. This page provides links to information on how to create and promote a nature tourism destination. See also WDFW's the Watchable Wildlife Industry.
- Sustainable Tourism: Definition, United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)
- A Community Guide to Nature Tourism, Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife
- Ecotourism: The Future, Parks & Recreation, 09/1997 (Available through MRSC Library Loan)
- Resource Based Tourism: An Emerging Trend in Tourism Experiences, Parks & Recreation, 09/1997 (Available through MRSC Library Loan)
- Ecotourism Must Become Responsible Tourism, World Wildlife Federation Newsroom, 05/2002
Economic Value of Nature Tourism - Ecotourism
A U.S. Fish and Wildlife-sponsored study, Adding-It-Up reported that direct expenditures on wildlife viewing in Washington for 2001 were over $979 million. The total economic contribution from wildlife watching in Washington was $1.78 billion. See WDFW Watchable Wildlife. An American Farmland Trust Study, Economic Impacts of Agriculture in Skagit Valley Washington (
), 2003, estimated that wildlife viewing in Skagit County provides a direct and indirect economic impact of $43.2 million annually.
- Assessing the Economic Development of Nature Tourism, by Nancy Hodur, F. Larry Leistritz, and Kara Wolfe, Great Plains Research, 2005
- Economic Impacts of Recreation and Tourism, Michigan State University - Includes a set of Microsoft Excel workbooks for estimating the economic impacts of NPS visitor spending on a local region
- Economic Impacts of Visitors to Olympic National Park (
), by Stynes, Daniel J., Dennis B. Propst, and Ya-Yen Sun, Michigan State University, 2000 - Executive Summary
- Economic Impacts of Visitors to Mount Rainier National Park (), by Sun Ya-Yen, Daniel J. Stynes, and Dennis B. Propst, Michigan State University, 2002 - Executive Summary
- Economic Impacts of Visitors to Olympic National Park (
- The Watchable Wildlife Industry, Washington Fish and Wildlife
Examples of Sites that Combine Nature and Marketing
- Scenic
- Chuckanut Drive, Chuckanut Drive Merchants Association
- Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, US Forest Service
- Gateway to Mount Rainier National Park, Enumclaw Chamber of Commerce
- Mt. Baker Highway, Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism
- Leave only footprints Green Tourism, San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau
- Favorite Trips, Skamania County Chamber of Commerce
- Trails
- Cape Flattery Trail, Forks Chamber of Commerce
- King County Regional Trails
- Methow Valley Sports Trails Association
- Snohomish River Estuary, Snohomish County Parks and Recreation
- Thurston County Parks & Recreation Trails
- Wilderness
- Discover Forks "The Rest of the Olympic Peninsula", Forks Chamber of Commerce
- Skamania County (Columbia River Gorge), Skamania Chamber of Commerce
- The Central Cascades Geotourism Project of Oregon and Washington
- Wildlife
- Birding on the Long Beach Peninsula, Long Beach Peninsula Visitors Bureau
- Klickitat County Bird Watching
- Othello Sandhill Crane Festival - Sponsored by the Greater Othello Chamber of Commerce and the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge. Funded by City of Othello through tourism development funds (hotel/motel taxes) and logistically supported by the Othello School District and Othello Community Schools, reimbursed by festival registration fees
- About San Juan County Wildlife, San Juan Chamber of Commerce
- Leadbetter Point State Park and Refuge, Long Beach Peninsula Visitors Bureau
- Skagit County
- Whatcom County
- Birdwatching in Whatcom County (), Whatcom County Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Whatcom County Birding Locations, North Cascades Audubon
- Birdwatching in Whatcom County (
- Other
- Experience Washington, Washington State Tourism Division - Lists wildlife, outdoor activities
Information Resources on Nature Tourism - Ecotourism
- Tool Kits and Agritourism/Nature Tourism Planning Guides, Agricultural Marketing Resource Center
- Agritourism - Small Farm Program, UC Davis
- Agritourism and Nature Tourism in California (publication information) - A workbook to help farmers and ranchers determine their tourism potential and walk through the steps of creating a tourism enterprise
- The Business of Nature Tourism: Resources, Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife
- Cultural, Heritage, and Environmental Tourism, ICMA MIS Report 28:4, 1996 (Available through MRSC Library Loan)
- Discover Your Northwest - Dedicated to increasing public appreciation of the rich cultural history and spectacular natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest; assist in providing high quality educational materials to the visiting public
- Tourism and Environment Programme, United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Sustainable Consumption & Production Branch
- Economic Impacts of Protecting Rivers, Trails and Greenway Corridors: A Resource Book, Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance, National Park Service, 1995
- Ecotourism, Conservation International
- Ecotourism, Nature Conservancy
- Ecotourism and Sustainable Development, by Martha Honey, Island Press, 1999 (Available through MRSC Library Loan)
- Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria
- International Ecotourism Society (TIES) - Promotes responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people
- Making Nature Your Business, A Guide for Starting a Nature Tourism Business in the Lone Star State (), Texas Parks and Wildlife
- Geotourism, National Geographic Center for Sustainable Destinations
- Nature Tourism, Texas Nature Tourism Information Center, Texas A&M University Extension
- Nature Tourism: Managing for the Environment, edited by Tensie Whelan, Island Press, 1991 (Available through MRSC Library Loan)
- Sustainable Tourism Gateway, Global Development Research Center
- Taking the Hype Our of Ecotourism, Trends Park Practice Program, 31:2, 1994 (Available through MRSC Library Loan)
- Washington State Tourism's Industry Site, Department of Commerce