Balancing Tourism & Human Use

In 1996, our government felt that the Bow Valley needed closer study. A large group of committed experts came up with over 400 recommendations that became part of the Banff Bow Valley Study. Not all of the recommendations were implemented, but most became part of the Banff National Park Management Plan.

The Banff National Park Management Plan is important for a number of reasons and it gives direction on how our park will be managed over a 15 year period (with reviews every 5 years).

Not everyone has always agreed on how the future of tourism should look in Banff National Park. During the development of the Banff National Park Management Plan, a group of people, representing opposite opinions on human use, managed to agree on what the future of tourism would look like in the park. They created a document called the Heritage Tourism Strategy. The principles outlined in this document are used to guide business practices in Banff today.

Heritage Tourism Video

The following 17-minute video focuses primarily on Banff’s history. If you watch carefully, you will be given most of the answers to the quiz that will follow.

	Watch the video first!
	When you have completed watching the video, return here to begin the quiz questions!