This presentation summarizes research on planning and implementing birding trails as a form of ecotourism. It was presented at the 2011 Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference. The research examined birding blogs to understand birders' needs and interests. It also interviewed managers of existing tourism trails to understand how they were planned and are managed. As a case study, the presentation analyzed the counties of Essex and Chatham Kent in Ontario, Canada, and proposed planning a birding trail for the area to boost the local economy.

1. This presentation was presented at the Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference 2011 (ESTC 2011) , held in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA, from September 19 th -21 st . Organized by The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), the ESTC is a unique annual conference providing practical solutions to advance sustainability goals for the tourism industry. Learn more about the ESTC: http://www.ecotourismconference.org ESTC on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ESTC_Tourism ESTC on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ESTC.Tourism The International Ecotourism Society | web www.ecotourism.org email info@ecotourism.org | tel +1 202 506 5033

2. Krisztian Vas Dr. Paul Eagles [email_address] [email_address] Masters Candidate Professor and Chair Tourism Policy & Planning Department of Recreation & Leisure Studies Faculty of Environment Director, Department of Geography Master’s Program in Tourism Policy & Planning University of Waterloo University of Waterloo

11. Hierarchical Theory of Bird-Watching Tourism Components Expert Birdwatcher Novice Birdwatcher Family Birdwatcher Individual Birdwatcher

19. PHASE 3-Case Study Area: Counties of Essex and Chatham Kent

21. Example of Pelee Agriculture