| Summary: | "Cruise Tourism in Arctic Canada (C-TAC)" was an overarching multi-year project running from 2008-2013 aimed at providing a better understanding of the expedition cruise ship sector across Arctic Canada. A series of inter-linked and multi-faceted projects were designed in response to the observation that expedition cruise tourism was experiencing considerable change, both in scale and geographic scope. Factors such as climate change, increasing concerns about security and sovereignty across the Arctic, and shifts in the global economy have influenced visitor demand, host communities and the industry itself. The C-TAC project examined the ways in which a variety of stakeholders (community members, policy makers and operators) viewed these changes and what management strategies could be adopted to minimise concerns and maximise opportunities. The first projects sought to examine community vulnerability to such changes in three locations (Pond Inlet, Gjoa Haven and Ulukhaktok). Common concerns included adverse impacts on the Arctic environment and its residents; limited opportunities for economic development and the possibility of safety and security breaches. Key management strategies included: the call for greater communication and coordination; changes to a variety of legislation, regulations and policies; and the strengthening of economic and social sustainability. A subsequent project examined the views of industry stakeholders who identified a range of opportunities presented by the cruise sector as well as additional concerns, such as a limited local infrastructure, an overly complex permitting process and a lack of communication among key agencies. Members of the C-TAC team then used a Delphi analysis to explore the feasibility and desirability of potential strategies for managing change in the cruise sector. The Delphi involved the development of an expert panel of senior decision-makers (n=14), key operators (n=S), local residents (n=4), and Arctic policy experts {n=4). For simplicity, strategies were ...
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