A Participatory Rapid Rural Appraisal of Tourism Development with ...

Center of the World, Center of Opportunity:
A Participatory Rapid Rural Appraisal of Tourism Development with the
Mowachaht /Muchalaht First Nations
Presenters: Amanda Keir, Nicole L. Vaugeois, Dan McDonald,
Research Team: Eva Chen, Richard Giele, Mike Neville, Karla Duarte & Alex Jules
Presentation for the 2008 World Leisure Conference, Quebec City, Canada October 6-10, 2008

Overview
What is a Participatory Rural Appraisal
Outline the study design
Show observations from the study
Discuss the realities of the application and share insights
on the use in other communities
Final thoughts and questions

“Partly due to the flaws in conventional approaches, there
has been a recent rapid expansion in participatory
methods and approaches. These began with the
development of data gathering methods which came to
be known as rapid rural appraisal”
(Pretty and Vodouhe, 1998)

Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA)
Evolved from rapid rural appraisal
Uses an array of methods to bring together practitioners,
government and local people
Uses the information gathering and reporting process to
help residents contribute information to decision making
and better understand issues & choices in the community
Helps develop capacity among residents
Results conducted “with” rather than “for” the community
so that there is more ownership and implementation

Key Tenets of PRA
Participation
Teamwork
Flexibility
Optimal
ignorance
Triangulation

Advantages of the Method
timeframe that is useful and cost-effective for the
community
team of researchers with diverse backgrounds to provide
different perspectives
Researchers spend days, reviewing documents, observing,
living with residents and interacting with people
Results of study are prepared and shared in the field
Builds a basis for on ongoing relationship with university
and community

Study Design
Provincial goal to
increase aboriginal
engagement in tourism
Aboriginal communities
approaching tourism with
caution because of the
balance of cultural
integrity with economic
development

Study Design Continued
Team consisted of 8
University researchers
and 2 representatives
from the Ministry of
Tourism, Sport and the
Arts, the Band
Administrator, Tourism
Development Coordinator
and Band members

Study Objectives
1. Provide insights from a visitor, resident and tourism expert lens
on how the community could enhance the visitor experience;
2. Identify assets (natural, cultural and historical) that may be used
to develop amenity based industries like recreation and tourism;
3. Engage residents in dialogue about aboriginal tourism
development (pros, cons, strategies) and in the identification of
assets that are appropriate for tourism development;
4. Identify short term strategies to improve operations and
profitability of the MMFN Marina.

Methods Employed
Review of background studies
Impressions in other communities
Direct observation
In-depth interviews
Group walks
Site interviews
Mapping and aerial photography
Journaling
Rapid report writing in the field

PRA of Mowachaht / Muchalaht First Nations Slideshow

Insights gained

Community Receptivity and Ownership
Access to
sources of
data

Cultural Context Matters
Protocols of
relationships

Meta Analysis Sharpened By Multiple
Perspectives
Importance
of role
clarity with
the team
Capitalize
on
researcher
strengths

Intensity of Researcher Engagement
Students,
faculty,
community,
and policy
maker
exchange
Foundation
for future
relationship

Engagement Begins Early

And continues after…
Emphasis on relationship building calls for post PRA
engagement and support

Lessons learned…
PRA is a useful tool for engagement with tourism
development (particularly with aboriginal
communities where ownership of assets is vital to
success)
Potential as a meta analysis tool
Opportunity for student exposure to multiple
research methods
Pre and post PRA engagement needs to be
considered prior

Closing Thoughts –
“ The focus is less on what we learn, and more on how
we learn and with whom. This implies new roles for
development professionals, leading to whole new
professionalism with new values, methods and
behaviour”
(Petty and Vodouhe, 1998)

Report
For a copy of the
final report,
please contact
Nicole Vaugeois
or Dan McDonald

Acknowledgements
Special Thanks To:
The research team Amanda Keir, Nicole L. Vaugeois, Dan
McDonald, Eva Chen, Richard Giele, Mike Neville, Karla Duarte
& Alex Jules
Drew Frymire and Charlie Cornfield from the Ministry of
Tourism, Sport and the Arts
Mowachaht/ Muchalaht First Nations and the Town of Gold
River for the invitation to visit their traditional territory and
for hosting the team during their time in the region

Questions
Nicole Vaugeois
Department of Recreation and Tourism Management
Vancouver Island University
900 Fifth Street, Nanaimo, British Columbia
250. 753.3245 Local 2772
E-mail: Nicole.Vaugeois@viu.ca
Dan McDonald
Department of First Nations Studies
Vancouver Island University
900 Fifth Street, Nanaimo, BC
250.753.3245 Local 2187
E-mail: Dan.McDonald@viu.ca
Amanda Keir
BTM (c)
Vancouver Island University
900 Fifth Street, Nanaimo, British Columbia
250.591.0970
E-mail: mandy_keir@hotmail.com

Resources
Bhandari, B. (2003) Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA). Internet
source available at
http://www.iges.or.jp/en/pub/eLearning/waterdemo/bhandari
_m4.pdf
The World Bank Group (2008). Participatory Rural Appraisal-
Collaborative Decision-making : Community-Based Method. The
World Bank Internet source available at
http://www.worldbank.org
Pretty, J.N. and Vodouhe, S.D. (1998) Using rapid or participatory
rural appraisal. Internet source available at
www.fao.org/docrep/W5830E/w5830e.08.htm