The evolution and compatibility of tourism and retirement in Parksville and Qualicum Beach, British Columbia
Date
1988
Authors
Foster, Danny Mervin
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Abstract
The expansion of tourism and retirement activity during the past several decades means that new and innovative ways must be found to allocate resources in order to effectively satisfy changing lifestyles. This is particularly true for small resort communities, as they tend to attract both tourists and retirees due to the pleasant environment and recreational activities that they provide. A theoretical framework has been proposed to outline the stages of tourism development in resort areas (Butler, 1980), and although this model has been utilized in several tourism studies, no research appears to have examined how the retirement function fits into this model. Similarly, while tourists and retirees have been observed to coexist in small resort communities for a quarter of a century or so (Christaller, 1964, 95-96), studies assessing the compatibility of these two groups in such areas are lacking in the English academic literature (Karn, 1977, 184).
Various historical records were utilized to outline the patterns of tourism and retirement evolution in the Parksville-Qualicum Beach resort area of Vancouver Island. The trends associated with these two industries were indicated by a content analysis of local newspapers, and by noting the number of businesses associated with these two activities that were advertising in the yellow pages of local telephone directories. Tourism infrastructure trends were identified by using provincial tourist accommodation guides, while the annual number of party nights at local provincial parks and annual visitor enquiries at the Parksville Tourist Information Centre revealed certain trends in visitor volume. Retirement trends were further indicated by using Census of Canada data to compare the number and proportion of local residents in selected age groups between census periods. In order to determine the degree of functional compatibility between the tourism and retirement industries, 50 structured interviews were conducted with community leaders in the case study area, and the results of this survey were then descriptively analyzed.
The Parksville-Qualicum Beach resort area characterized the early stages of Butler's model fairly well, but as the area became well established it departed from the model in some respects. Since past studies have also found this to occur (Hovinen, 1982, 573; Keller, 1987, 23; Lundgren in Murphy, 1983, 96), it was suggested that several of the model's later stages could be combined into a more general 'mature' phase (as had been proposed by Hovinen). The retirement function became evident at an early stage of development in the study area. This confirmed the statements of several authors who have observed that tourists and retirees have similar locational preferences (Christaller, 1964, 95; Karn, 1977, 28; Mellor, 1962, 42-43), but contradicted Butler's expectation that retirement would become prominent during a 'decline' phase of tourism. The survey members supported the presence of the tourism and retirement industries in the local economy, and they also considered these two functions to be compatible in their communities. These community leaders also identified several synergistic opportunities arising from the coexistence of tourists and retirees, including support for additional recreational facilities and an incentive to retain a pleasant community ambience.