Visitor Activities Management Process (VAMP)
Overview
Created in the late 1980s and early 1990s by Parks Canada (Nilsen n.d.) as a companion process to the Natural
Resources Management Process within the Parks Canada Management Planning System, VAMP is a detailed planning
process designed to provide guidance for planning and management of new parks, developing parks and established
parks (Nilsen & Tayler 1998). It strongly emphasises the use of marketing techniques, such as product development and
market segmentation. The outcome of the VAMP process is a management plan related to the selection and creation of
opportunities for visitors to experience a park’s heritage settings through appropriate educational and recreational
activities. Decisions about managing and delivering support services for each activity are reflected in the service plan.
When analysing visitor information, the VAMP process considers type of visitor, number of visitors, diversity of
visitors and where they are recreating. It also calls for analysis of the experiences and benefits visitors’ desire, and the
types of services and facilities they require at various stages within the trip cycle. The process also identifies appropriate
interpretive themes, resource values, constraints and sensitivities. The process is embedded within existing legislation,
policy, and management plans and considers current services and facilities offered on a regional scale, as well as data
on visitor satisfaction