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Essay / Banff National Park Case Study - 1366
As previously stated, Banff National Park offers a variety of activities that are suitable for people from all walks of life. However, much remains to be done to attract more visitors. Van Tighem, cited in Klingbeil (2012), states that "there are many ways to accommodate large numbers of people in a landscape without having to fill it with concrete, asphalt and steel." It is essential to understand that tourists will come if they have a unique experience, which does not necessarily include infrastructure. One solution is to offer educational activities, to give visitors the opportunity to experience what they experience. The Banff Master Plan highlights this problem by stating that “the effectiveness of public education programs is not well measured” (2010). Therefore, tour management needs to provide more educational programs, which can be followed more closely. Likewise, activities that align with modern interests would be highly beneficial: the Banff Master Plan states that this would "promote increased visitation and, with it, the deep personal connections that arise from personal experience of real and inspiring places." (2010). Subsequently, the Banff Community Plan states: "People come here to be inspired - and that's often why they come back." » Ultimately, visits to the park would benefit from the activities available in the Town of Banff. One answer to the problem of lack of space in the city could be to use the space around the base of the park for camping services. Although there are currently 2,468 sites offering a "variety of services", peak season appears to be August and other months see fewer campers (Parks Canada). Accordingly, if short-term sites were accessible to more experienced, low-impact campers, this could reduce environmental impact while increasing attendance. Draper