Impacts of national park tourism sites: a perceptual analysis from residents of three spatial levels of local communities in Banff national park

Communities next to national parks, known as gateway communities, can benefit from national park development. Gateway communities are unique and limited in the degree to which, and direction in which, they can be developed. In this research, Banff National Park was used as a case study to explore residents' perceptions of the impact of national park tourism via a survey questionnaire distributed in communities at three different spatial levels (core, intermediate, and remote portal). The data analyses were based on a sample of 231 respondents and were processed using factor analysis and linear regression models for different communities. The results identified six impact factors, and the differences in each community were analyzed. The findings indicated that residents' perceptions of the impacts of tourism in the town of Canmore rank first, followed by those of Banff and Golden. The regression analysis revealed that Banff was found to have the most supportive residents, and their support for tourism was found to be significantly affected by community natural environmental factors and cultural development factors. Canmore residents were mainly affected by cultural factors. Golden residents were least supportive due to through natural environmental factors and quality of life factors. An adaptive analysis revealed that Banff has the closest economic relationship with national park tourism, and Golden the weakest. Balancing the positive and negative impacts of tourism, exploring more cultural service functions of the communities, seeking a more diverse industrial structure, planning year-round tourism, and cooperating with other communities to ensure local benefits are recommended. The findings may provide an additional understanding of the local perceptions of tourism impacts and local support from a spatial perspective and can help sustainable tourism management by assisting communities to optimize the tourism industry structure and local management strategies.