Tourism is a $2.65 trillion industry world-wide and still growing. It employs more people than any other industrial sector and, in a world made smaller by a travel-conscious society, it makes a vital contribution to the economy of virtually every country on the globe.

Tourists spent $24 billion in Canada in 1988. Almost a third of this came from travellers from outside the country. In that same year, more than five percent of Canada's labour force worked in tourism _ _ that translates into 632,000 jobs. About 60,000 businesses provided goods and services to the tourism industry.

There are a great many opportunities for First Nations in this industry. For many First Nations, natural resources in the area _ _ forests, waterways, etc. _ _ form an attractive tourist opportunity. Tourism, like any other resource, can be developed and managed in a way that increases its advantages and diminishes the disadvantages.

This booklet, The Development of Tourism in Your Community, is based on manuals published by Alberta Economic Development and Tourism, and the Department of Economic Development and Tourism in Saskatchewan. This adaptation is produced with their permission. It provides advice on how First Nation communities can tap into Canada's growing tourist industry. After outlining the advantages of a development policy, it provides guidelines on how to define goals, assess the benefits and costs of tourism in your area and prepare and implement a community action plan.

DIAND developed this series, entitled Building a Future: An Overview of Resource Development on Reserves, in response to requests by First Nations for information on developing resources on reserves. Designed as booklets rather than textbooks, each looks at the development of a different resource from the point of view of a First Nation community. Is development a choice? If so, what is the best way to plan and benefit from that development?

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