Strengthening Regional Tourism in Colwood, BC: An Examination of Effective Strategies for Leisure Attractions.

This thesis focused on how to strengthen regional tourism in Colwood, B.C., through effective strategies for leisure attractions. The objectives of the study were to determine how community stakeholders and local businesses have been involved in the development of the Royal Bay-Latoria South Parks Plan, and to examine how effectively the plan has been implemented to attract tourists and identify the tangible outcomes achieved. The study applied a concurrent triangulation design. The study participants comprise stakeholders and expert informants:Llocal and International one-time tourists at Hatley Castle, local and International tourists at the Esquimalt Lagoon, visitors to the Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre, park users, residents, and community leaders. The study adopted purposive sampling to choose 7 participants for the qualitative research and selected 50 participants for the survey. The study used descriptive statistics to analyze data collected from the survey and conducted a thematic analysis of the data obtained from interviews. Findings indicated that broader community stakeholders were somewhat involved, albeit still at a moderate level, in the Royal Bay-Latoria South Parks Plan, whereas local business enterprises were only considered moderately involved. While the availability of consultation tools, including public hearings, committee procedures, and online platforms, was a defining feature of stakeholder involvement in Colwood's Royal Bay-Latoria South Parks Plan, the actual level of engagement remained uneven and limited. The study also revealed mixed perceptions regarding the effectiveness of the Parks Plan in attracting tourists to Colwood. The study recommended that Colwood could improve stakeholder involvement by going beyond formal consultation to encourage genuine collaboration and ensure that stakeholder input is clearly included in the decision-making process. It should also improve its outreach and communication methods to make sure stakeholders are aware of current tourism plans and developments in a consistent and easily accessible manner.

Author dc:creator

• Sylvester , Ogochukwu , Faith

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• White, Brian

• School of tourism and hospitality management

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Identifier URI

https://doi.org/10.25316/IR-20515

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:null:10613/28952