Nature Tourism > Five-Step Process: Getting Started > Step 1 - Assess

To begin the process, consider some questions about your site and community.

If you are developing a specific site:

• What types of resources does the site have, and what is its status – i.e. is it public or private, protected or managed, etc.?
• What infrastructure exists?
• What would it cost to improve it, and who would do the work?
• How many tourists come to the site now?
• Who benefits from their visits?

In addition to these questions for a site, if you are working on community-wide projects, also ask yourself:

• What services for tourists exist in your community?
• What would it cost to develop them?
• Who would do the work?
• How many tourists come to your region now?
• Who benefits from their visits?

We have provided a longer set of suggested guidelines and checklists. Use these to develop your own guidelines and checklists to help determine if your site or community might be suitable for nature tourism and possible nature products/activities:
Where are We Today? Taking a Snapshot of Your Community or Project Site

Links to help you through the assessment process.

Forming a Team

• Federal Agency Index
• State Agency Index
• Washington Tribes
• Washington Counties
• Washington Cities
• Regional Resources
• Partnership Resource Center

Baseline Economic Data

• Travel Industry of America, Publications and Products
• Census 2000 Data for Washingon State
• Washington State Tourism industy site which also links to the tourism site for tourists.
• Washington Department of Transportation
• Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

The next thing you need to do is Step 2: Envision.

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