Cruise Tourism and Residents in Arctic Canada: Development of a Resident Attitude Typology

Abstract

The Canadian Arctic represents an emerging market in the rapidly evolving polar cruise sector. Since 1984 when cruises began in this region, cruise ship activity has been sporadic, but in 2006 the number of cruises to Nunavut doubled from 11 to 22. This elevated level of growth has persisted with ice strengthened cruise vessels conducting between 23 and 26 separate cruises through Arctic Canada each year from 2007 to 2010. With a warming climate some suggest this trajectory of growth will continue as sea ice diminishes and passages open up. Despite this growth little is known about this burgeoning sector from the perspectives of local residents. Through two community case studies local attitudes toward cruise tourism are positioned in a resident attitude typology. In Cambridge Bay, where cruise tourism is just emerging, resident attitudes were found to gravitate toward the passive-favourable areas of the typology. By contrast, in Pond Inlet, which is one of the most visited cruise destinations in Nunavut, attitudes were more varied with some individuals expressing degrees of resistance. The article suggests that if local people are to become engaged participants in the development of cruise tourism in Nunavut, then it is critical that resident attitudes and aspirations are articulated, respected and acted upon.