cbe report final_hr - Haliburton County Community Cooperative Inc

Cultural resources can include local storytelling, dance, music and so on and often form the
backbone of rural economies for single townships. “The cultural resources of a region must
be presented and interpreted with intelligence and creativity; the development of these
products entails deep research into one’s identity, and a profound sense of place which will
allow people to grow, self-actualize, feel proud and link the past with the future.” (Walter, J.
1989: 59) The development of cultural tourism in this area will create respect for the land,
its people, and its life history. Cultural tourism boosts an areas understanding of itself with
special attention given to the strengths and uniqueness of a particular community.
Eco-tourism
Eco-tourism can easily combine with adventure tourism and cultural tourism.
According to The Ontario Eco-Tourism Society (TOES), Ecotourism is ecologically sustainable
and socially responsible nature and culture based tourism.” There has been, “a shift in
popularity from ‘traditional’ seaside resort holidays to a broader range of tourist
experiences... particularly, through activities that seek some kind of ‘outdoor adventure’ or
‘reconnection with nature.’” (Woods, M. 2005) While one wants to encourage connecting
with nature and visiting rural communities there must be a limit on the amount of ‘traffic’
that comes through a community. There is the possibility of environmental degradation to
the land as well as the people. With too much outside influence, ironically, the very culture
you are ‘selling’ may change dramatically. This may not seem relevant at the outset, but put
simply, small communities can become ‘tourist traps’ fairly quickly if economic development
supersedes placing a value on quality of life and cultural value of residents. This can be
avoided by providing constant light reminders to the community of their value as individuals
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