| The Crown of the Continent region, which encompasses southwest Alberta, southeast British Columbia and northern Montana, is a region in transition. It is shifting from a primarily resource based economy towards a dependency on recreation and tourism. As tourism in the region expands, associated development can begin to fundamentally alter, even destroy what originally drew people to the area.; The National Geographic Society (n.d.) defines geotourism as "tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place--its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents". The Crown of the Continent region has initiated a geotourism MapGuide project in an attempt to take control of their tourism future, and encourage appropriate and compatible tourism in the region. A MapGuide is a community-based effort to produce a map that highlights the unique natural, historic and cultural assets of a destination.; This master's degree project studies the potential for tourism to lead to effective regional stewardship. This project followed the creation of the Crown of the Continent MapGuide, with the aim of creating tools to evaluate the long-term impacts of this project. The primary outcome of this research is a set of indicators to evaluate the Crown of the Continent Geotourism Project. |
