Policy Formulation at the Tourism/Environment Interface: Insights and Recommendations from the Banff-Bow Valley Study

Abstract

The need for formal tourism policy is being increasingly acknowledged. Nowhere is the need more pressing than in cases where economic and environmental forces clash to create social conflicts and industry inefficiencies. This article reviews one of the most complex and most costly policy studies undertaken in recent years. The Banff-Bow Valley Study (BBVS) encompassed a complex set of integrated research efforts designed to provide a foundation for policies to ensure the long-term protection and development of national parks in the Canadian Rockies. In addition to providing a tourism perspective on the various approaches employed, it summarizes the major conclusions and recommendations pertaining to tourism. Finally, it seeks to extract a number of insights from the study that, it is hoped, will be helpful to others who must formulate policies in situations where tourism and environmental priorities must be reconciled.