Factors that strengthen tourism resort resilience

Resilience is a concept of growing interest amongst those seeking to understand how communities may better adapt to change. Recent research has focused on understanding those factors that enable or enhance the resilience of tourism-focused communities, particularly in response to shocks and stressors. Such research suggests a variety of systems-based factors that, when present, appear to strengthen proactive responses. This research extends past findings to suggest that a set of individually based resilience enhancing factors (emotional, physical and spiritual wellbeing, as well as cognitive and behaviour competencies) also strengthen overall tourism community resilience. A comprehensive resilience model, which offers an alternative to traditional resilience frameworks, illustrates this finding. This research also broadens understanding as it relates to the effects of shocks and stressors on tourism community resilience and the role of governance systems in enabling proactive responses. These conclusions are drawn from informant interviews, participant observation, and document analysis in the Resort Municipality of Whistler, British Columbia (BC), Canada. Overall, the research contributes to the theoretical and applied dimensions of resilience and tourism-focused community development.