Learning from Those Who Have Gone Before: Three Case Studies of Planning Strategies to Manage Tourism as Development in the Western United States

While tourism is currently one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the world, it presents serious logistical challenges to rural communities who have used it or hope to use it for their economic betterment. This study examines how three intermountain west communities (Sun Valley, ID; Jackson, WY; and Moab, UT) have transitioned from natural resource-dependent economies to globally recognized tourist destinations. This study shows how changing circumstances have led to changes in community priorities, which are reflected in the policies and strategies they adopt to address the concerns brought to light as they have entered each new stage of development. It is through the identification of common or inevitable problems and the strategies that have been employed to deal with those problems that communities seeking to embrace tourism can become aware of and prepare for the costs and benefits associated with tourism as economic development