Linking Culture and the Environment

M.E. Johnston and G.D. Twynam 111
pose of the Nunavut study was to gather baseline data prior to the intended
introduction of the Arctic tourism principles and to determine whether the
principles would have any resonance in this part of the Arctic.
In order to assess the need for the initiative and its potential effectiveness,
it is necessary to understand current behaviour, awareness and motivation of
operators who not only enable tourism, but also provide the opportunities
and situations for tourist behaviour with its resulting impacts. This study
examined tourism operators’ awareness, views and behaviour related to the
principles of sustainable tourism outlined in the WWF (1997) ‘Linking Tourism
and Conservation in the Arctic’ initiative. In conjunction with Nunavut
Tourism, a survey was administered in 1998 to tour operators in the eastern
Canadian Arctic. The principles were adapted for the survey in order to gather
operator opinions on their present use of the ideals, an important indicator of
current practice and also an indicator of potential level of interest in the initiative.
The survey was translated into Inuktitut for the non-English speakers.
Potential respondents were identified using Nunavut Tourism operator lists:
this resulted in 53 operators being contacted and included only those who
had telephone or fax numbers. Fifty-two telephone interviews were conducted
as one operator chose not to participate in the survey. The survey
asked the operator to identify the category that the business fell into, number
of years in the business and number of clients in the previous year. These
questions were used to provide detail on the scale and nature of the business.
The main focus of the questions was on the behaviour of the operators specifically
related to the ten principles for Arctic tourism (WWF, 1997).
Operators were first asked whether they had ever heard of responsible
tourism. Twenty-nine of the 52 operators had heard of responsible tourism.
The number of years in operation ranged from 8 months to 38 years with an
average of 11.7 years in business. The number of clients in the previous year
ranged from 0 to 800 with a mean per year of 113 clients. Nunavut operators
provided their clients with a variety and combination of tourism activities
such as: hunting (19%), fishing (32%), adventure activities (79%), nature
viewing (79%) and cultural appreciation (56%).
Operators’ opinions of their present application of the principles are
identified in Table 6.1. Of the 52 operators contacted, 50% knew of local and
regional conservation plans. A majority of operators (77%) promote nature
conservation through client education (73%) and 31% provide financial support
for nature conservation. Operators said that they use resources in a sustainable
way (96%) by not disturbing wildlife (83%), using existing trails and
campsites (64%) and taking care in fragile areas (56%). All of the operators
contacted stated that they follow local laws. Ninety per cent of operators
contacted pay attention to Inuit rights by informing and coordinating with
the local communities their activities with clients. Many (48%) coordinate
these activities with local individuals.
Most (96%) minimize the consumption of fossil fuels, and minimize
waste and pollution by limiting garbage (85%), cleaning up polluted areas
(81%) and using recyclable products (62%). Client education assists operators
in the protection of historic, cultural and scientific sites. The majority of operators
(92%) felt that their operations provide benefits to the local communities