Tourism and Recreation

Background/overview

Participation in outdoor recreational activities has been growing in Canada since the 1960s, largely due to demographic and economic trends, with documented social, health and even spiritual benefits. This trend has also been observed in the Newfoundland context. Popular recreational activities in Newfoundland include hunting and fishing, ATV use and snowmobiling, boating, berry picking, and other uses of the land. Because there are so many different interests, it is important to balance land use and keep as many recreational users of the land satisfied as possible. Many of these recreational uses also have tourism, and therefore economic development, values. For example, Exploits Valley Economic Development Corporation has identified recreation-related opportunities in winter as well as experiential and adventure tourism more generally.

Land-use related issues

During consultations undertaken in the Central West Region, there was an opinion that recreation usage for young people (i.e., lack of opportunities) and competing demands for land was an issue. For instance, younger people want access to trails and waterfront access for recreational activities such as kayaking and scuba diving. However, this access is not always easy to negotiate with timber and other uses. These same recreational uses also have tourism values