ABSTRACT

This chapter examines the role that information and communication technologies can potentially play in influencing the shape and nature of local economic development and the attainment of these guiding principles. It argues that elements of the emerging field of community informatics can add an important dimension to our attempts to cope with the complex issues that characterize the tourism and development nexus in Baffin Island. A number of key issues have been raised in past research on the Baffin and Nunavut tourism industry, including a lack of investment in infrastructure, parks and other visitor facilities. The Inuit of Canada’s Baffin Island face a number of important challenges in their attempts to gain greater control over their economic destiny. While tourism has great potential to provide a stable and sustainable source of economic development for Inuit communities, it is clear that the industry faces some important challenges.