The Challenges of Integrating Tourism into Canadian and Australian Coastal Zone and Management

Abstract

This article discusses the challenges of integrating tourism into Canadian and Australian coastal zone management. Comparisons are drawn between coastal and marine tourism resources in Australia and Canada. The resources considered include the cruise ship industry, recreational boating, fishing, sea kayaking, SCUBA diving and marine wildlife tourism. In the introduction, some of the problems of definition and data are addressed. Tourism is described as an industry, but unlike many traditional industries, the tourism arena consists of a myriad of players and sectors. After the comparison of tourism resources in both countries, the power and politics associated with managing user conflicts in marine areas in British Columbia and Australia are discussed. The third part of the article looks at the challenges of environmental management for coastal and marine tourism; specifically, the article focuses on issues arising from the creation of marine protected areas and the development of sustainable whale watching operations. The authors conclude with two case studies, the cruise industry in Pacific Canada and the recreational fishing industry in Australia.