1 Proceedings of the Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium, 2011 UTILIZING THE PRODUCT CLUB APPROACH FOR BIRDING TRAIL PLANNING Krisztian Vas University of Waterloo Faculty of Environment kvas@uwaterloo.ca Dr. Paul F. J. Eagles University of Waterloo Abstract As bird-watching gains popularity, ecotourism planners are using various techniques to attract birdwatchers. One method of drawing birders to a specific region is the development of a birding trail. Although numerous birding trails have been created with varying levels of success, there is little research on how birding trails are designed, implemented, and managed. One new and potentially viable approach is to implement and manage birding trails as tourism product clubs. A product club is an association of tourism service providers working together to deliver an integrated service. This study first explored internet birding blogs to discover what birders desire on their trips. We then conducted semi-structured interviews with key people connected to existing tourism trails. We eventually chose as a case study site the Essex and Chatham-Kent County area of southern Ontario and an advisory committee of key stakeholders was set up to assist with trail planning. This paper provides a brief synopsis of the results. 1.0 Introduction Tourism continues to grow globally with over 1.6 billion people participating in different avenues of tourism and spending over US$2 trillion annually (Lowman 2009). As a result of this growth, tourism is rapidly evolving, presenting tourism planners with new opportunities and new tourism segments. One niche market in tourism is ecotourism, and one niche market within ecotourism is bird-watching tourism. Bird-watching or birding is the activity of viewing or watching birds either through the naked eye or by view-enhancing devices such as binoculars and pods, for the purpose of recreation (American Birding Association 2010). The activity is often challenging, as it involves searching for elusive, rare, and endemic species, but finding such creatures can be very satisfying (Birding B.C. 2009). As a result, bird-watching is often strongly correlated with photography and many birdwatchers use high resolution cameras and video equipment to capture rare birds and moments in the field (Birding B.C. 2009). According to Blondel (2004) and Connell (2009) birdwatchers are thought to comprise the largest segment of nature-based or wildlife viewing tourism in the world. If this is true, then bird-watching is the dominant activity in ecotourism, especially as society continues to shift away from consumptive to non-consumptive forms of wildlife tourism (Blondel 2004). Since birding is such a growing tourism activity, the development benefits that bird-watching can bring through enterprises such as birding festivals or birding trails can alter the economy of a place or region (Colby & Smith-Incer 2005). Struggling communities or regions are sometimes able to put themselves on the global tourism map by facilitating bird-watching tourism (Chambliss et al. 2005). Most countries have a national tourism plan with annual goals and objectives, which usually include promoting the nation's best tourism resources (Canadian Tourism Commission 2010). In Canada, some of the notable sites which hold national tourism significance are Niagara Falls, Banff and Jasper National Parks, and the Rocky Mountains, among others (Canadian Tourism Commission 2010). However, places like Point Pelee do not seem to play a vital role in Canada’s national tourism plan, even though this national park is one of the premier bird-watching places in North America (Canadian Tourism Commission 2010). Thus, although bird-watching tourism is not taken very seriously as a national tourism activity, it can be promoted to foreign and domestic tourists alike. Perhaps bird-watching tourism can be developed as a more significant segment of the overall tourism market in Canada. 2.0 Study Purpose The purpose of this study is to attempt to fill a research gap regarding birding trail planning and to test the theory and practical application of developing a birding trail as a tourism product club. There are several well-known and successful birding trails, especially within the United States, that exemplify what a birding trail should look like and what its functions should be. Some of these famous birding trails include the North Carolina Birding Trail, the Maine Birding Trail, The Great Florida Birding Trail and The Great Texas Birding Trail. All four of these trails provide access to a wide array of bird species and fabulous scenery. However, in looking at bird-watching tourism and the development of birding trails from a tourism planner’s perspective, literature regarding the design, function, implementation and management of bird-watching trails is lacking. There is very little