Coping with Tourism: The Case of Sitka, Alaska

In this case study, resident coping strategies for dealing with the proposed development of a cruise style dock in the community of Sitka, AK are examined. Tourism literature is surprisingly devoid of research examining coping behaviors; therefore a definition developed by Folkman and Lazarus (1980) is utilized. This research shows that the tourism planning process is an example of coping behavior, although certain elements of community dynamics prevented coping strategies from being particularly successful.