Resources for the Tourism & Protected Areas Specialist Group

Publications

Tourism and visitor management in protected areas: guidelines for sustainability (2018)

Protected areas are a key component of any global conservation strategy. Tourism provides a crucial and unique way of fostering visitors’ connection with protected area values, making it a potentially positive force for conservation. Protected area tourism’s economic benefits—which depend on beautiful natural areas, healthy wildlife and nature, and authentic cultures—can also be a powerful argument for conservation. Tourism in protected areas is a major part of the global tourism industry—an industry whose scale and impacts are enormous. Such a high volume of visitors implies certain needs for fundamental infrastructure and requirements for employment and human services, all of which have ramifications for the economy, society, culture and the environment. These Guidelines provide guidance on key issues to help managers achieve sustainable tourism in protected areas.

Publication English - Español - Français - Deutsch -  Português - монгол хэл

 

Sustainable tourism in protected areas: guidelines for planning and management (2002)

The link between protected areas and tourism is as old as the history of protected areas. Though the relationship is complex and sometimes adversarial, tourism is always a critical component to consider in the establishment and management of protected areas. These guidelines aim to build an understanding of protected area tourism, and its management. They provide both a theoretical structure and practical guidelines for managers. The underlying aim is to ensure that tourism contributes to the purposes of protected areas and does not undermine them.

Publication: English - Español - 日本の - русский - 中國

Reports

Guidelines for tourism partnerships and concessions for protected areas: generating sustainable revenues for conservation and development. (2017)

Report to the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and IUCN.

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Publication: English - Español - Français - Portugues

Webinars

What is overtourism in protected areas and what can we do about it?

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Protected Area Management and Covid19

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Guidance for Tourism Concessions and Partnership in Protected Areas

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The IUCN WCPA Tourism and Protected Areas Specialist Group (TAPAS) in partnership with the Interagency Visitor Use Management Council (IVUMC) and Ecoturismo Genuino present a webinar recording on the Visitor Use Management Framework (Part 1)

Presenting the new Visitor Use Management Framework VUM - Part 1

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Presenting the new Visitor Use Management Framework VUM Part 2

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Certification Tools and Standards for Protected Areas Management

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More Than Just Signs: Designing Visitor Experience for Heritage Management

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Crisis Response & Recovery: Nature-Based Tourism, Biodiversity, and Livelihoods

Session 1: Biodiversity Conservation Financing through Sustainable Nature-Based Tourism

Session 2: Visitors Count: Establishing the Economic Impacts of Tourism in Protected Areas

Session 3: Sustainable Livelihoods and Human Health through Tourism

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A huge thanks to the Center for Responsible Travel, WWF, and Arizona State University School of Community Resources and Development, located in the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions, for their collaboration with the IUCN WCPA Tourism and Protected Areas Specialist Group (TAPAS Group)! 

Crisis Response & Recovery: Nature-Based Tourism, Biodiversity, and Livelihoods

Session 4: Visitation and Biodiversity Conservation in Protected Areas in Light of COVID-19

Session 5: The Resurgence of Overtourism in Protected Areas in Crisis Recovery

Session 6: Sustainable Tourism Blueprints and Solutions

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A huge thanks to the Center for Responsible Travel, WWF, and Arizona State University School of Community Resources and Development, located in the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions, for their collaboration with the IUCN WCPA Tourism and Protected Areas Specialist Group (TAPAS Group)! 

TAPAS Governance Documents

  1. IUCN WCPA Tourism and Protected Areas Specialist Group Introduction 2018
     
  2. Tourism and Protected Areas Strategy 2016-2020
     
  3. Tourism and Protected Areas Report 2019
     
  4. Tourism and Protected Areas Report 2018
     
  5. Tourism and Protected Areas Report 2017