Economic Impacts of Tourism in Rural Areas
--sometimes seen as a “panacea” for areas with poor economy, but
“Income leakages, volatility, declining multipliers, low pay, imported labor and
conservatism of investors are problems. The least favored circumstances in which to
promote tourism is when the rural economy is already weak, since tourism will create
highly unbalanced income and employment distributions. It is better to supplement for a
thriving and diverse economy than as a mainstay of rural development.”
(Butler and Clark, 1992)
A case Study of a New Regional Festival
The Rollin’ Down the River Festival-1997 and 2000
Definition of Festival
Components of a festival
1.
2.
3.
4.
Why are festivals popular in the US?
Special characteristics of this festival
Festival Categories
1. River activities
Ex:
2. Rural homecomings or reunions
Ex:
3. Native Americans
Ex:
4. Natural environment and the river
Ex:
5. Local ag and the river
Ex:
How do you evaluate this festival’s success??
The inverse relationship in terms of town population and attendance
Lake Placid (Florida)
Note: this is not a coastal town, but is in the middle of the southern part of the peninsula.
Founded in 1924 as Lake Stearns as part of??
The name of the town and the name of the lake to the south were changed when the Lake
Placid Club of New York State established a “southern branch” in this town.
What are the major tourist resources of this town?
Answer: its location on Highway 27, one of the major roads taken by travelers going
across the Florida peninsula.
Man-made tourist resource—murals depicting the history of the town. Some of them
have puzzles, some make noises, all are on a tour guide for sale at the Visitor’s Bureau—
people are drawn to these.
Note: the small downtown is clean, tidy and contains what appear to be some thriving
shops.
Sense of place and image is greatly enhanced
Slides of Hermann and of Lake Placid—take notes on—
Note: stop studying for the first test here!!!
Rural Tourism Examples Continued
Hermann Missouri
Town of 2,500 located on the bluffs of the Missouri river founded in 1836 by the German
Settlement Society of Philadelphia with the express purpose of maintaining German
culture in an isolated setting.
Why was that date important?—early problems of site and situation.
Wine lots sold—establishment of stone hill as the main winery
“Little Germany” as a tourist attraction in the late 19th and early 20th century
Note the contribution of German language in school and churches until 1917 when what
happened?
Then Prohibition and ag depression of 1920s and 1930s depression
Why Maifest introduced in the 1960s?? (Typical reason for the establishment of festivals)
Now also “Octoberfest” etc—is this really German??
Now a favored retirement community outside St. Louis
At least three wineries, etc, etc
The Tourist Experience of Urban Tourism
Evaluating the quality of the tourist experience is a complex process.
What are some of the factors to be considered?
Note:--these may overlap and/or not apply to every tourist
*the weather conditions at the time of the visit
(Often not considered, but critical because?)
A corollary to this is how well the tourist adjusts to the city’s weather—how
similar/different is it from home?
*the standard and quality of accommodation available
This needs to be about as good as home, better is preferred!
(Exceptions??—students) Visiting “exceptional places,” like??
*the cleanliness and the upkeep of the city
*accessibility of attractions and points of interest
Are tourist willing/able to use public transport?
*range of nightlife and entertainment available
*extent to which locals make the tourist feel welcome
or why do you have to ask for milk with your coffee
when there are plenty of coffee drinking Europeans and Americans in Moscow?
*extent to which locals at attractions and in the hotel speak English
*prices of goods and services compared to home
*level of crowding and congestion