Godfrey Baldacchino

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Extreme Tourism Lessons from the Worlds Cold
Water Islands

• Godfrey Baldacchino
• Canada Research Chair (Island Studies)
• University of Prince Edward Island, Canada

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Assumptions about Island Tourist Paradises Warm
Water Tropical Climate Exotic/Erotic Sites
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Is Cold Water Challenging Weather an Obstacle
to Tourism? Do Islands add a Particular Twist to
Tourism Policy Practice?
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Key Questions (1)

• Is there a Specific Island Lure? What exactly
  attracts tourists to (small) islands? (slower
  tempo physical remove taking it all in)
• Is bad weather less of a bother in cold areas,
  since it is expected and indeed critical to
  special interest travellers?

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Key Questions (2)

• Is there a cold water tourist type?
• Is extreme location and insularity a blessing
  regulating flow protecting environment
  preserving difference preventing lapse into mass
  tourism?
• Expensive, hazardous, irregular, unreliable
  access all part of the cold water tourist
  experience?

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Key Questions (3)

• Rapid, deep and intense impact of tourism on
  small islands high level of openness is
  tourism hazardous?
• Are cold water islands the ultimate raw outposts
  of civilisation destined to enjoy the latest
  and final boom? Or should islands remain
  foreboding and forbidden?

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Key Questions (4)

• Inaccessibility is part of Competitive Asset -but
  easier to maintain where there is no population.
  Are land use and access conflicts likely?
• Political peripherality may spawn bold (alien)
  tourist elite Dangerous?

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Lessons

• A new category of destinations
• A re-interpretation of the island draw
• Bad weather as ally no seasonality paradigm
• Difficult access as ally no mass potential
• A specific combination of services based on
  small numbers.