TOURISM

* High quality parks and open space are one of the most important contributors to tourism and tourism is one of the number one growth industries in much of America.

TPL's Martin Luther King National Historic Site project is the second most visited tourist destination in Georgia.

The Gwyn Falls Greenway -- TPL's "signature project" in Baltimore -- has been adopted by the mayor as the pivotal element in a citywide economic development strategy, known as "Baltimore Walks," to link major tourist destinations such as the B&O Railroad Museum and Camden Yards, new home to the Orioles.

Sweeney, Liz. June 19, 1995. "Tourism Gains Favor as a Development Strategy." Standard and Poor's Creditweek Municipal, pp. 97-101.

"Economics benefits of tourism development include the creation of jobs and income for local residents, and tax and fee revenues for the local residents, and tax and fee revenues for the local government. Tourism dollars can support a larger tax base, including hotels, restaurants, and attractions, generating tax revenues to support services such as public safety, streets, and utilities, which tourists and local residents both benefit from, and education, which the local community primarily benefits from. Taxes on tourists, such as sales and hotel taxes, can reduce the burdens on local residents and businesses. Lake Havasu City, Arizona, reduced property millage by 90% in 1990, replacing the lost revenue by doubling the sales tax to 2% and imposing a 3% transient rental (hotel) tax. Sales taxes now represent 53% of total revenues, while property taxes are just 1.5%, compared with 34% from sales taxes and 15% from property taxes in 1990. In addition to providing property tax relief, the restructuring better distributes the costs of governance."

"...many communities are discovering that tourism has a big impact in much less visible areas that are not often thought of as tourism powerhouses. For example, a recent study of recreation in the Southern Appalachian national forest, an 88-country area in five states, concluded that the annual economic impact was $379 million, many times more than the logging industry contributes ($32-49 million). ...With severe depression in the timber and salmon industries, Senator Patty Murray (D-Washington) advocates replacing the lost income with tourism--by building a 320-mile bicycle path on the Olympic Peninsula."

Outdoor Recreation Coalition of America's 1993 State of the Industry Report.

"Nature-oriented tourists in the U.S. spend as much as $14 billion a year, about 7% of the total travel expenditures worldwide."

"In the Columbia River Gorge area in Oregon, windsurfing brings in an estimated $16.5 million a year in tourism, manufacturing, real estate, and related revenues."

McMahon, Ed. Winter 1993. "Community Appearance and Tourism: What's the Link?" Heritage Tourism Update.

"Virtually every study of traveler motivations has shown that along with rest and recreation, visiting scenic areas and historic sites are among the top two or three reasons why people travel."

McMahon lists 8 standards and recommendations to the tourism industry to preserve and enhance those characteristics that make a community interesting, memorable, and attractive. They include the following related to open space:

"Preserve and maintain existing historic buildings, neighborhoods, towns and areas.

"Protect scenic views and vistas. Wherever possible install underground utility wires and screen unsightly intrusions on scenic viewsheds or historic settings.

"Preserve trees and existing landscape character. Wherever possible plant street trees and use native vegetation to landscape and buffer parking lots."

Pennsylvania Economy League, Inc. December, 1993. The Economic Impact of the President Oil Land Acquisition on Venango County. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

"The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy in 1993 purchased an 11,300 acre tract of land in Venango County from the President Oil Company. The President Oil lands are part of 20,000 acres of land assembled by H.J. Crawford and his oil and gas business partners in the early part of the century. The oil and gas extraction in the area has lost almost all of the importance it once had." The Conservancy plans to resale the property to the State Game Commission and timber rights to the Industrial Timber and Land Corporation (ITL).

"The ultimate sale of the lands to the Game Commission will bring an increase in recreation, tourism, and related activities. The lease of the timber rights to ITL and the timber harvesting will generate additional economic activity. Property tax and in-lieu-of-tax payments to local taxing bodies will increase.

The transfer of the President Oil property to the Game Commission will conserve the lands as forested wildlands and provide new recreational assets for the region. The lands, along with the other area recreational assets, can play an important part in the economic future of the region as it makes the transition from manufacturing to tourism. The development of new outdoor recreational activities including the rivers, rails-to-trails and game lands, can add to and enhance the impact of tourism on the area."

"Hunting and fishing on the land will increase with the game lands designation."

"As more land is divided into small parcels and subject to development, there will be fewer large tracts of land that are open to the public for recreation and enjoyment. The larger tracts that remain will become valuable for recreational purposes and can have a positive impact on the surrounding area."

"The Oil Heritage Park plan estimates that each day visitor will spend $31.00 per visit, and a survey of Oil Creek State Park bike trail users revealed spending at an average $25.86 per visit."

"The extent of the additional economic activity will depend on efforts to promote development in the townships. Efforts to promote tourism in the area are now focused on the Oil Heritage Park and rails-to-trails activities in the southern part of the county. These efforts can be enhanced with the addition of the President Oil lands as an important outdoor recreational asset."

Spickard, Steven E. May 18, 1993. "The Value of Parks", Testimony before the California Assembly Committee on Water, Parks, & Wildlife.

"Tourism is big business. Public recreation is part of tourism."

"Visitor spending is responsible for $20 billion in economic output for Los Angeles County.

"Tens of thousands of out-of-state and international visitors combine their trip to Disneyland with a day at Huntington State Beach...

"Visitor spending creates multiplier effects which ripple throughout the economy. The tourist dollar spent in Los Angeles County recirculates 2.7 times..."

Thomas, Holly L., "The Economic Benefits of Land Conservation", Technical Memo of the Dutchess County Planning Department, February 1991.

Outdoor recreation, tourism, and agriculture are big business.

Tourism is a "multimillion dollar business in Dutchess County. Statistics from the Dutchess County Tourism Promotion Agency show that tourists spent over $127 million here in 1988, up nine percent from 1987. The agency estimates that this represented an economic benefit to the county of $376.8 million. The tourism business employed over 8,850 persons in 1988, one in every ten of the county's workers."

"The county's historic buildings and sites are important tourism attractions. Many of these historic features are linked to natural and scenic settings that are relatively unprotected. Conserving these landscapes would help to sustain the appeal of the cultural sites, thereby protecting both their historic integrity and their economic contribution."

Nantucket Land Council, Inc. 1989. "Balancing Today's Development &Tomorrow's Taxes." Nantucket, Massachusetts.

"Tourism is the economic foundation of the island. In the past, tourists and second home owners have been attracted to the island because of its open spaces and uncrowded streets and beaches. However, the loss of open spaces to development is transforming Nantucket... The townspeople witness daily heavy traffic choking Nantucket's streets. Research studies demonstrate that traffic congestion eventually makes a desirable tourist spot less attractive to visitors."

Brabrec, Elizabeth. 1992. "The Value of Nature and Scenery." Scenic America: Technical Information Series v. 1 (3).

According to a poll commissioned by the President's Commission on Americans Outdoors (1987) "natural beauty was the single most important criterion for tourists in selecting outdoor recreation sites."

"In South Carolina, total gross output for Myrtle Beach State Park is about $259 million (1982), while in Tennessee, Falls Creek State Park generates about $15 million (1982)." (Bergstrom et al., 1990)

Christensen, Jon. December 23, 1996. "The shotgun wedding of tourism and public lands." High Country News.

Report on the Western Summit on Tourism and Public Lands held in September, 1996, a gathering of federal agency staff, tourism industry and a few environmentalists.

"'Recreation is going to be our business in the future' said (Jim)Lyons (U.S. Forest Service). 'By the year 2000, recreation will account for $97.8 billion of the $130.7 billion generated by activities on national forests,' he said. 'Fish and wildlife generate $12.9 billion, minerals $10.1 billion, timber $3.5 billion, and grazing about $1 billion.'

'It's not that mining and logging and grazing won't be part of that future,' said Lyons, 'but the highest and best use of the public lands is not extractive.'"

"The fact is the economy of the West is changing Tourism has become much more of an economic force." Jay Watson, Wilderness Society regional director for California and Nevada.

Leimer, Christina. July 1994. "City Parks: Human Investment, Natural Reward." Texas Parks and Wildlife.

"city parks and greenspace bring millions of dollars into local economies through tourism, convention trade and shopping. People spend more time and money in pleasant, comfortable surroundings and are more attracted to cities with a cultural identity. Austin's Barton Springs, San Antonio's Riverwalk, and El Paso's Franklin Mountains show how a city's natural environment mixes with its culture to create its special flavor.

'The convention and tourism industry is one of San Antonio's economic mainstays,' said Ronald Darner, director of San Antonio's Parks and Recreation Department. 'Because parks and park-related events are important to our local citizens and are vital to attracting visitors and conventions, a great deal of our attention , planning, maintenance and resources are dedicated to parks.'"

Dunlop, Beth. "Rescuing the Redland." Landscape Architecture v. 85 (4).

"The fertile farmland south of Miami is the only rural subtropical region on the United States mainland. But here in Dade County's Redland, amid fragrant groves of carambola and jackfruit, mango and lime, the tough questions of preserving the rural landscape are being put to the test. The object is to protect a fast-disappearing and endangered area from suburban sprawl."

"the plan recognizes that protection must carefully link aesthetics with economics. The Redland Historic District would be a working rural network and a low-keyed tourist destination. The models are California's Napa Valley wine country and Pennsylvania's Lancaster County. There would be rare fruit groves to visit, bed-and-breakfast inns, country stores selling such tropical delicacies as calamondon marmalade and carambola cakes. The district would be laced with hiking trails and bike paths."

"Dade County adopted the plan as a whole, without enacting specific zoning or design regulations."

McKenzie, Jana. October 1996. "Building Every Park." American City and County.

"When tourism in Virginia Beach started to decline in the late 1970's, city planners began revitalization efforts to rebuild the beach boardwalk."

"The stub streets are designed as pedestrian spaces through which people can easily and safely make their way to and from the beach. The streets became pocket parks, each designed around a different theme people would remember which park they used to enter the beach and ..their whole experience at the beach would become more memorable.

The boardwalk and the parks were constructed between 1988 and 1995, and tourist visits are increasing steadily Overall resort improvements are noticeable as well."

Wilkins, Suzi. 1992. "Rivers: The Front or Back Doors of our Cities?" Conservation Digest. v. 4, no.5.

"Mayors across the country look enviously to San Antonio, which recognized the aesthetic (and real commercial) value of its waterfront by developing its world famous River Walk. This tourist attraction annually generates $1.2 billion. Lowell, Massachusetts, on the Merrimack River, has realized $7 in private investment/return for each $2 publicly generated through the development of a National Historical Site that transformed an old mill town into a national showcase."

Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program. 1995. Economic Impacts of Protecting Rivers, Trails, and Greenway Corridors., Department of the Interior. National Park Service, Western Region, San Francisco, California.

"In 1988, users of the Elroy-Sparta Trail in Wisconsin averaged expenditures of $25.14 per day for trip-related expenses. Total 1988 trail user expenditures were over $1.2 million. Approximately 50 percent of the users were from out-of-state, and the typical user traveled 228 miles to get to the trail (Schwecke, et al., 1989).

"The Gauley River is a high quality whitewater rafting and kayaking resource in West Virginia. It is growing in popularity and increasing its economic impact on the surrounding region. Dam releases provide whitewater opportunities on a 24 mile stretch of the Gauley for 10 to 25 days in the fall. The rafters, during this short season, generate almost $20 million in economic activity in the region. Every $1 spent per visitor day generated $2.27 of sales in the state. Each visitor day generated an average of 1.79 days of employment. Economic rationale was instrumental in precluding potential additional dam construction on the Gauley; it was recently designated a National Recreation Area (Logar, et al., 1984)."

Harrison, Roger. Spring 1995. "Rivers are Magnets for Tourism", River Voices, River Network.

"Today, tourism is the fastest growing industry in West Virginia. In spite of a downward tourism trend in neighboring states and all across the country, West Virginia tourism revenues have continued to rise since 1989. Tourism contributes more than $2.5 billion to the state's economy each year, including almost $120 million in state tax revenues."

"In recognizing the value of recreation and tourism to West Virginia, the West Virginia Rivers Coalition is the lead advocate for National Wild and Scenic Rivers designation for 12 streams within the Monongahela National Forest.

These streams are considered the crown jewels of rivers in the Mid-Atlantic region and collectively could provide significant economic certainty to local forest communities that have historically relied on timbering and coal revenues."

Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program. 1995. Economic Impacts of Protecting Rivers, Trails, and Greenway Corridors., Department of the Interior. National Park Service, Western Region, San Francisco, California.

"Ecotourism is an environmentally responsible form of travel in which the focus is to experience the natural areas and culture of a region while promoting conservation and economically contributing to local communities (Adventure Travel Society, 1994). Ecotourism is one of the fastest growing areas of the travel industry."

"In a recent report, the governors of five New England states officially recognized open space as a key element in the 'quality of life' in their region. They credited 'quality of life' as providing the foundation of a multi-billion dollar tourism industry and bringing rapid economic growth to the region (Governor's Committee on the Environment, 1988)."

"Ramsey Canyon Reserve and the San-Pedro National Conservation Area (RNCA) is southern Arizona attract a significant number of visitors from outside the local area. Approximately two-thirds of the visitors to these sites are from outside of Arizona and approximately 5% are from (outside) the United States. The typical non-resident visitor to Ramsey Canyon spends $55 per day in Sierra Vista, while a non-resident visitor to the San Pedro RNCA spends $51 per day in Sierra Vista. The total economic impact in the Sierra vista area associated with nature-based visitors is estimated at nearly $3 million per year (Crandall. Leones, and Colby, 1992)."

"Several kayak outfitters have teamed up with environmental groups working to protect and enhance the quality of the San Francisco Bay in northern California. This cooperative effort has resulted in naturalist-lead kayak tours of the bay which raise funds for the effort to improve the ecological integrity of the bay (Sunset Magazine, 1994).

Page last updated 04/03/2000