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Evaluating the effectiveness of visitor-regulation strategies for polar tourism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 October 2009

Margaret E. Johnston
Margaret E. Johnston
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 5E1, Canada
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Abstract

The regulation of tourism in polar areas is increasingly of concern to scientists, policy makers, tourists, and tourist operators who wish to control negative impacts and promote positive ones. Given the growing emphasis on finding and using appropriate ways to control visitors to the polar regions, it is important to examine issues related to the effectiveness of individual measures of regulation and the broader strategies that are in effect in these places. This paper examines the effectiveness of visitor-regulation strategies by outlining a two-step approach to evaluation. The initial step should involve determining the nature and attributes of the measures that make up the strategy. Commonalities, differences, constraints, and complementarity in these measures must be assessed. Particular attributes outlined in the paper, such as scale of jurisdiction and degree of restrictiveness, can be examined to assess the compatibility and consistency of the measures, which have implications for overall strategy effectiveness. While it may be appropriate to evaluate individual measures further using a goal-achievement approach, the paper recommends evaluating strategies through a conceptual approach based on criteria related to the characteristics of an effective strategy. Four are described in the paper: comprehensiveness, enforceability, outcomes, and appropriateness.

Type
Articles
Information
Polar Record , Volume 34 , Issue 188 , January 1998 , pp. 25 - 30
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1998

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