Tourism students help support coastal BC communities

Nine students and three faculty from Malaspina University-College, University of Northern British Columbia, Thompson Rivers University and College of the Rockies will visit BC coastal communities between now and May 8 to share resources on tourism development.

It’s part of a three-year Tourism Research Innovation Project (TRIP), which aims to help rural communities develop sustainable tourism operations and prepare to welcome the world during the 2010 Olympic games.

“Our team will talk to community leaders and entrepreneurs about the innovative strategies they are using to develop tourism in coastal and aboriginal communities,” explained Jody Young, a recent graduate of Malaspina’s Tourism and Recreation Management program and a participant on this year’s study tour. “The goal of the project is to share information and help BC rural communities overcome some of the barriers they face.”  

Phase one of the TRIP project began in spring 2006 when Malaspina Tourism professor Dr. Nicole Vaugeois led a study tour through northern BC, Alberta and Northwest Territories. Last year, students visited communities in central BC.

This year’s tour begins in Prince George and includes stops in Prince Rupert, Hazelton, Massett on the Queen Charlotte Islands, Port Hardy, Alert Bay, Quadra Island and Gold River.

“Many rural communities in BC and Canada are in transition as they struggle to switch from resource based industries to service based industries such as tourism,” explained Young.  “A lot of information exists in businesses, communities, academic institutions, and government agencies that could help them, but accessibility is a problem. The information isn’t always available to those who need it the most.

“People living in rural communities have difficulty connecting with the outside world because they don’t necessarily have access to the Internet or telephone service. It’s difficult for them to attend conferences, stay current on new information and network with other people because of their geographic location.”

The Tourism Research and Innovation Project (TRIP) is the first of its kind to address the need for enhanced knowledge exchange in tourism development within rural areas in BC, added Vaugeois.

“We’re hoping this project will serve as a model for similar projects in rural communities throughout Canada,” she said.

“The main goal is to mobilize information and resources in tourism development within rural communities. Through the study tours, our students are trying to understand the realities of rural tourism development through dialogue with community leaders and tourism entrepreneurs. They are documenting case studies and innovative tourism practices and sharing them throughout the province.

“Students will link academic and non-academic partners in rural tourism development in British Columbia, and help them reshape policy, planning decisions and education programming in BC to reflect the needs of tourism development in rural areas.”

TRIP is joint initiative between Malaspina and a team of provincial partners, with funding from various government agencies and support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

Vaugeois recently enlisted the talents of Alanna Williams Edwards, Coordinator of Malaspina’s Internet Production Diploma program to create a new interactive web portal for sharing resources between communities on rural tourism development.

“It’s a powerful tool for knowledge mobilization – making information accessible, flexible and readily available to a target audience,” she said. Information gathered by the students from previous study tours has already been posted on the new portal.

For information, visit the TRIP website at http://www.trip-project.ca/.