Tourist Activities

The Nova Scotia Nature Tourism Study was conducted by the Nova Scotia Department of
Tourism in 1992 to examine the untapped tourism potential that could be realized from the natural
features possessed by the province. The study provides the basis for determining nature tourism
activities. This study was meant to explore the nature-based tourism segment of the population and
help determine how to market the province to perspective nature tourists. The natural environment is
the crucial element in this study and for this type of tourism. “The natural setting is crucial to the
success of the nature tourism product. The most important motivation for nature tourism is to
experience this natural setting. This is supported by the literature and the consumer surveys conducted
for Nova Scotia, B.C. and Alberta. The travel trade also indicated that a natural setting is the primary
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factor that their clients use in selecting a tourism trip.” From this study, activities that tourists enjoy
were ranked in order. Through consumer study results the following activities were ranked by tourists
in order of their perceived importance. The list of tourist activities is as follows from most important
to least important: casual walking, viewing wildlife, visiting protected areas, boat tours, cultural
education, visiting wildlife settings, whale watching, hiking/treking, raft/canoe/kayak (river/lake),
bird watching, ocean sailing, physically challenging activities, snorkeling/scuba diving,
mountain/road cycling, trail riding, cross country skiing, and ocean kayaking. .”18 In order to create
GIS models of various tourism products the developer must first access what resources and data they
must have for the model. The following is a brief chart showing the required data for the creation of
GIS models for hiking, wildlife viewing, and sea or ocean kayaking. The table on the next page
shows the tourism product to be modelled and what data is required to model this product. The chart
is for comparison later in chapter 7 where required and available data is discussed. The table includes
a few select products and not the wide range that have been modeled.