Winnipeg Free Press Kt Miller / Polar Bears International. (CNW Group/Polar Bears International) The expansion of Churchill’s polar bear tourism industry needs to be undertaken with caution, researchers warn, as Manitoba issued new tourism permits for a protected area east of the town for the first time in decades. The expansion of Churchill’s polar bear tourism industry needs to be undertaken with caution, researchers warn, as Manitoba issued new tourism permits for a protected area east of the town for the first time in decades. The Churchill Wildlife Management Area was established in 1978, and was created with the intention of protecting polar bear denning areas, as well as geese and caribou.