Abstract
Sustainable tourism development in coastal areas seeks to protect the ecological integrity of the marine systems and while respecting the values, customs, and social institutions of local residents who depend on the marine resources. To achieve this outcome, it is necessary to understand how local community values, uses and perceptions of coastal areas by residents living in communities, including Native communities, would be impacted by increased tourism activity. In this presentation, we will present preliminary results of research designed to measure how residents of coastal communities on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska use and value their coastal resources. The research combines traditional survey research and with GIS technology to spatially map respondent values, activities, and special places in coastal areas. Following presentation of the results, we will suggest a system for classifying coastal area values, activities, and special places and show how this system might to used to help move toward the goal of sustainable tourism development.