"If Vancouver's big time operators didn't have our wilderness experience, people would not fly in."

~ Rural operator

Web Links

There are numerous sources of valuable information on the web to support tourism development in rural communities.  We have sorted through many resources and provide them here to aid in your search.  If you know of a valuable resource that is worth sharing with others, let us know and we will add it to our database.

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Community Tourism Foundations Program
The Community Tourism Foundations Development Program is designed for communities just starting out in the business of tourism, while the Community Tourism Foundations Marketing Program provides later-stage information and support for communities that hav
Tourism BC

URL: http://www.tourismbc.com/business_development.asp?id=4566

Nature based development
Resources that will enhance nature based community development, B and B development, and recycling.
Developing Naturally

URL: http://www.strom.clemson.edu/publications/Potts/index.html#intro

Tourism Center
Expert staff have created materials, workshops, consultations, and community tourism assessments. Tourism Center staff also facilitate strategic planning seminars for a variety of community and industry groups.
University of Minnesota

URL: http://www.tourism.umn.edu/education/ctd/

Planning guidelines
Bulletin that provides guidelines for comprehensive tourism planning.
Michigan State University

URL: http://web1.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modtd/33000005.html

Best Practices Guide for Resort Development in BC
Designed to help current and prospective resort developers, operators, communities, and the provincial government and other authorities who face challenges in the fields of resort planning, development, and on-going operations.
Ministry of Tourism, Sport and the Arts

URL: http://www.tsa.gov.bc.ca/resort_development/

Sustainable Community Development
An organization commited to fiscal, environmental and socially acceptable land use and development.
Smart Growth B.C.

URL: http://www.smartgrowth.bc.ca/index.cfm

Models for Rural Development and Community Capacity Building
Factsheets on rural community development models.
Canadian Rural Partnership

URL: http://www.rural.gc.ca/programs/factsheets_e.phtml

Canadian Rural Partnership
Website focusing on rural issues in Canada
Rural Secretariat

URL: http://www.agr.gc.ca/policy/rural/rsmenue.html

Community Tourism Development
A website dedicated to helping communities and their tourism development.
Community Tourism Planning and Design

URL: http://www.community-tourism.net/

Sustainable Tourism Practices
Website dedicated to international ecotourism standards and sustainable tourism.
Green Globe 21

URL: http://www.greenglobe.org/

Ideas regarding sustainable development
Green ideas and Green travel as well as a catalogue of environmental products.
The Green Hotels Association

URL: http://www.greenhotels.com/

Online Tourism Journal
Online academic journal dealing with current issues regarding sustainable tourism.
Journal of Sustainable Tourism

URL: http://www.multilingual-matters.net/jost/default.htm

Sustainable Tourism Practices
Organization helping communities and businesses transform land use practices, business practices and consumer behaviour.
Rainforest Alliance

URL: http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/programs/tourism/index.html

Sustainable Tourism Practices
A website offering guidelines to sustainable tourism as well as case studies.
World Tourism Organization

URL: http://www.world-tourism.org/frameset/frame_sustainable.html

Place based approach to tourism
A website offering place based approaches to tourism such as cultural tourism, eco-tourism and geotourism.
Civic Tourism

URL: http://www.civictourism.org/index.html

Tourism Investment Fund
Funding for high-end tourism infrastructure outside of major urban areas.
Government of Canada - Canada Business
Ethical Tourism Planning
A website dedicated to ensure tourism always benefits local communities.
Tourism Concern

URL: http://www.tourismconcern.org.uk/

Tourism On line Resource Centre
This collection provides "one-stop shopping" for information about sector industries, tourism planning and sector issues,aboriginal tourism, and other products, activities, and markets. Browse this section for a range of research findings, reports, links
BC Centre for Tourism Leadership and Innovation

URL: http://www.bctli.ca/main/?torc

BC Parks and Protected Areas Research Forum
Welcome to BCPARF, a forum to facilitate and promote parks and protected areas research in British Columbia. We are a cooperative partnership between the research community, and provincial and federal governing agencies, hosted by the University of Northe
University of Northern British Columbia

URL: http://www.unbc.ca/bcparf/

BC Agritourism Alliance
A provincial committee has been established to strategically guide future efforts which address the challenges faced by agritourism operators. The British Columbia AgriTourism Alliance (BCATA) was incorporated under the Society Act on January 9, 2002. Its
BC Agritourism Alliance

URL: http://www.agritourismbc.org/about/

Annals of Tourism Research
This journal provides a range of academic articles on tourism. Link and search for rural tourism, destination development, marketing, heritage, or other areas of interest.
Science Direct

URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01607383

Economic Impacts of Tourism
How can the average person understand these studies sufficiently to separate good studies from bad ones and make informed choices? The purpose of this bulletin is to present a systematic introduction to economic impact concepts and methods.
Dan Stynes - Michigan State University

URL: http://www.msu.edu/course/prr/840/econimpact/pdf/ecimpvol1.pdf

Wildlife Guidelines for Backcountry Tourism/Commercial Recreation
Guidelines to help ensure that backcountry recreation activities do not compromise wildlife populations or their habitats.
Ministry of Environment
Value of Tourism
Document outlining the economic value of tourism in the province of B.C.
Tourism B.C.

URL: http://tourismbc.com

Provincial and Regional Tourism Statistics
Provincial and Regional Tourism Statistics.
Tourism B.C.

URL: http://tourismbc.com

Statistics
Website offering a range of provincial statistical data.
BC stats

URL: http://www.bcstats.gov.bc.ca/services.asp

Statistics
Website offering data on tourism and business statistics for the province of British Columbia.
BC stats-tourism

URL: http://www.bcstats.gov.bc.ca/data/bus_stat/busind/tourism.asp

Statistics
Website offering quick facts and figures as well as in depth market research.
Canadian Tourism Commision

URL: http://www.corporate.canada.travel/en/ca/index.html?sa_campaign=domains/un/www.canadatourism.com/home

Statistics
An organization dedicated to being the primary resource for travel and tourism research.
Travel and Tourism Research Association

URL: http://www.ttra.com/