Fund Housing or Infrastructure?

The question whether rebuilding funds should rather be spent on housing or infrastructure has long been debated among researchers. Most researchers agree that funding infrastructure that enables community interaction is more important for the recovery process than the funding of housing (Le De, 2011).

For adventure tourism, it is more important to provide a good soft infrastructure than hard (tourism) infrastructure. The UNWTO (2014, p.52) declares that “Adventure travelers are less sensitive to deficiencies in hard tourism infrastructure, such as airports and paved roads, but are perhaps more sensitive to soft infrastructure, such as signage, good guide training, and clean trails. Adventure destinations need policies that prioritize the type of infrastructure valued by adventure tourists”.

The UNWTO (2014, p.52) further emphasizes the importance of protecting the environment and culture of a destination as these represent the basis for all adventure tourism activities. “Adventure destinations must also have policies in place that protect the three assets that adventure tourists value most — natural, cultural, and adventure resources. National authorities should regulate commercial activities in areas of high cultural value and natural beauty to ensure that these activities do not detract or interfere with the quality of the tourism experience”.