Trail-Based Recreation and Tourism
An avid hiker, and multiday tripper, Kelsey's passion for multi-use trails and her active involvement with the trail communities of Northern Ontario has enabled her to work with communities focusing on the intersection of rural and indigenous culture, history and knowledge and trail tourism development in the Great Lakes region of Canada. This has lead to an evolving research agenda that explores trail tourism development (converted rail trails, cycle trails, multi-use/ multi-season trails) as a driver for economic growth in rural Canada.
Additional work in the area of rural community tourism development has generated feasibility studies on SCUBA diving tourism, and marina development / revitalization in small towns and communities in Northern Ontario. Please click here for related publications and research summaries.
Kelsey's emerging work in this area focuses on:
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trail recreation and trail tourism development and social enterprise;
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trail sovereignty, reconciliation, and indigenous economic development; and
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wellness and active trail-based stay-cations.
Current Projects
Kelsey's current research in trails involves a collaborative research project with Jane Murphy McCulloch (Atlantic Canada Trails, Terminus Consulting) and Kirsten Spence (Quercwood Consulting). This project explores trail tourism, rural community tourism development, and social enterprise.
Conference Proceedings
Johansen, K. & Spence, K. (2012). Implementing the Trans Canada Trail 2017 Connectivity Plan in Northern Ontario, Canada: Tourism, Hiking and Rural Development. At the 6th International Conference on Monitoring and Management of Visitors in Recreational and Protected Areas (Outdoor Recreation in Change - Current Knowledge and Future Challenges), Stockholm, Sweden, August 21-24, 2012.
Johansen, K. (2010). Boating Tourism and Community Economic Development: Understanding Boater Market Segmentation and Amenity and Service Preferences Post-Recession. At the Travel and Tourism Research Association Canada Chapter Conference (Research on the Road to Recovery), October 13-15, 2010, Quebec City, Canada.