Abstract

STEFANICK, Lorna; GONZALEZ, Rodrigo  and  SANCHEZ PASCAL, Nadia. The Search for Paradise: Amenity Migration and the Growing Pains of Western Canadian Mountain Towns. Estud. perspect. tur. [online]. 2012, vol.21, n.5, pp.1114-1141. ISSN 1851-1732.

Migration is not a new phenomenon but has been happening since the birth of the human history. What is new is that by the end of the second millennium, the motivation that causes migrations changed. In the past, people moved mainly in search of food or, later, for economic reasons. Now, we see a significant movement of people because of the desire to achieve a particular lifestyle: migrants seeking a different environment and culture associated with rural areas and in particular to rural areas located in coastal or mountain regions. Research based mainly on secondary data analysis and participant observation in these communities, explores the characteristics of these migrations for amenity in the Western Canada, analyzing the impacts generated by the phenomenon and the growing pains of the people of mountain regions.

Keywords : Amenity migration; Mountain tourist destinations; Affordable housin; Leisure mercatilization.