Tourism is another activity that makes a substantial economic contribution to the communities within Pncima. Tourist activities include cruise and ferry trips, boating, sailing, fishing, kayaking, wildlife viewing, cultural tourism, and guided recreation.
The cruise ship industry is an important component of tourism in Pncima. In 2007, the Port of Prince Rupert hosted 100,000 passengers and 60 large cruise ships. This is expected to grow from 40,000 in 2001 to over 200,000 by 20111 . All different sizes of cruise ships currently venture through Pncima. These tourists, who come from all over the world, want to experience the scenery, wildlife and the unique communities on the coast.
Recreation among tourists and residents of the BC coast is also a significant activity in economic terms. A study of the economic contribution of outdoor recreation to BC’s central and north coasts and Queen Charlotte Islands, identified a wide range of marine-based activities including: boating, saltwater and freshwater fishing, kayaking, hunting, diving, nature study, hiking, and river sports. They estimated that these activities contributed about $55 million annually to the regional economy.
PncimaMatters Concerns
While tourism and recreation are growing sectors there are some negative impacts such as sewage dumped from pleasure crafts, pressure on species from recreational fishing and behavior changes in marine mammals as a result of human activities.
Both the tourism and recreation industry take advantage of Pncima’s parks and protected areas. Yet less than 0.5% of Pncima’s marine environment is protected. There is much potential for these industries to reduce their negative impacts and grow to sustain Pncima’s communities over the long term. Creating a network of Marine Protected Areas in the context of the Pncima plan would support the ecotourism and recreation sectors.
1. School of Resource and Environmental Management. Simon Fraser University (2009), Vancouver, BC: Canada. Chris Joseph, Thomas I. Gunton. Benefits of Marine Planning: An Assessment of Economic and Environmental Values. Download>>
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The cruise ship industry is an important component of tourism in Pncima. In 2007, the Port of Prince Rupert hosted 100,000 passengers and 60 large cruise ships. This is expected to grow from 40,000 in 2001 to over 200,000 by 20111 . All different sizes of cruise ships currently venture through Pncima. These tourists, who come from all over the world, want to experience the scenery, wildlife and the unique communities on the coast.
