Assessment of Ecotourism on Community Development: Case of Ecotourism and the Ely Community
Abstract
This study evaluated ecotourism in Ely, Minnesota, gateway to the Boundary
Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the International Wolf Center. The study
used Flora and Flora's (2008) community capitals framework to assess
ecotourism effects on the community's capitals namely, natural, cultural, financial,
built, human, social, and political capitals. For each of these capitals; postal and
email correspondences, phone calls, and internet searches were used to collect
government surveys, statistics, and documentary and photographic data. These
data were presented in tables and analyzed using a descriptive method. The
analyses revealed a positive effect of ecotourism on all the capitals and
suggested that the community capital framework is a suitable model for
ecotourism assessment and that ecotourism is contributing to the development of
the community of Ely. Suggestions for further research were also offered.