Abstract: The interpretive planning process does not include a system to provide input from external sources. This study resulted in a new model, Ecotourist Needs Assessment (ETNA), that contains methods for external sources to provide input into the interpretive planning process in a systematic manner. A case example of one technique, a survey instrument, is provided along with a narration outlining how planners of interpretation value such a new model. The ecotourist was the external source used in the case example.