Management of the assets that attract
visitors
Adventure destinations must also have policies in place
that protect the three assets that adventure tourists value
most—natural, cultural, and adventure resources. National
authorities should regulate commercial activities in areas of
high cultural value and natural beauty to ensure that these
activities do not detract or interfere with the quality of the
tourism experience.
Natural resources: Adventure tourists are generally seeking
pristine natural environments and bio-diverse habitats
to explore, and these require high levels of protection by
governments. Protection of nature through, for example,
the gazetting (an official designation) of conservancies, the
creation of national parks, and the designation of Ramsar15
sites (wetlands of international importance), helps attract
adventure tourists who recognize these designations as adventure
opportunities. Although adventure tourism is widely
viewed as a green sector (environment-friendly), its dependence
on natural resources makes negative impacts more
conspicuous.16UNWTO has long recognized biodiversity as
an important issue for tourism development of all kinds. An
outline of UNWTO’s work and recommendations in the field
of tourism and biodiversity is presented in the adjoining article.
Cultural resources: Adventure tourists are equally keen