This presentation explores how tourism can be intentionally shaped to support human–bear coexistence within the Bear Smart Communities (BSC) framework. We begin by outlining the geographical and economic context: core and corridor areas where perceptions of bears, levels of economic dynamism, and attitudes toward tourism vary significantly.

Within the LIFE Bear Smart Corridor strategy, tourism serves three main objectives: generating tangible benefits for local economies, building a positive narrative around bears and coexistence, and creating new opportunities to raise funds for coexistence measures. The presentation will walk through the actions undertaken over the past five years to kickstart the tourism offer and embed it explicitly in the BSC framework—focusing geographically on Bear Smart Communities and designing experiences that include direct encounters with members of the local business network, such as guides, hospitality providers, artisans, and producers.

We share early results from 2024 and 2025 and outline future perspectives on how these activities are influencing perceptions of bears and strengthening support for coexistence measures.

Presenter email: [email protected]