ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Throughout this project, the PROS Team required information, analysis and insight from others in order to prepare a report that best reflects the character, interests and vision of eastern Kentucky. We would like to express our gratitude and acknowledge the following organizations for their direct assistance or previous work that contributed to this project:

Kentucky’s Governors Office for Local Development Big Sandy Area Development District Kentucky River Area Development District Cumberland Valley Area Development District Bluegrass Area Development District Gateway Area Development District FIVCO Area Development District Southeastern Kentucky Tourism Development Association International Mountain Biking Association

WMTH, Inc. / Summit Engineering / ERA Outdoor Industry Foundation Kentucky Mountain Biking Association Mountain Trail Development Coalition Mountain Association for Community and Economic Development Appalachian Regional Commission Kentucky State Park System Marshall University

Additionally, we would like to acknowledge and thank the following individuals for providing information, insight and interviews: Pike County and City of Pikeville Phyllis Hunt John Gatling Debbie Clevinger Minta Chaney Magistrate Christian Harris Knott County Theresa Huff Debbie Moore Geraldine Champion Judge Randy Thompson Harlan - Bell Counties Judge Joe Grieshop Andy Meadors Kim Collier Judy Barton Perry – Breathitt Counties Angela Duff Fitz Steele Paul Hall Tim Spencer Paul Feltner

Powell County Judge Darren Farmer Serena Bowen Matt Tackett Joe Bowen Kick-off Focus Group Barry Davis - Floyd County Deputy Judge Exec. Christi Kirk - Martin County MCEDA Sherry McDavid - FIVCO ADD Tim Schwendemenn - Cumberland Valley ADD Jason Hawkins - Cumberland Valley ADD Andy Meadors - Cumberland Valley ADD Terry Trimble - Big Sandy ADD Sandy Runyon - Big Sandy ADD Denise Thomas - Big Sandy ADD Clark Allison – Nat. Resource Conservation Service Commissioner Randall Fiveash - Dept. of Tourism Justin Maxson - MACED Van Back - SEKTDA Patty White - Governor's EKY Field Rep Gail Wright - Gateway ADD Johnda Barker – Estrn. Hghlnds. North Trsm. Region Risa Shimoda Shad Baker - Pine Mountain Trail Betty Cole - Daniel Boone Country Tourism Region Gene McDaniel - KYMBA Michael Dulin - KYMBA

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION Eastern Kentucky has a story that emerges directly from the heart of American tenacity, romance and adventure. It is a region rich in history from well-known Appalachian lore, has inspired renowned folk art and music, features spectacular natural resources and wilderness, and is home to a hearty people clearly defined by their surroundings and past. Despite the obvious beauty and richness of the region, the land and people of eastern Kentucky have undergone tremendous hardship through the decades from both the relative remoteness of the area and the continual rise and fall of an economy that depends largely on consumptive industries. Eastern Kentucky is characterized by severe terrain and limited development space that has constricted economic diversification associated with the rise of professional employment fields beyond the more traditional industrial and social support economies. Companies and conglomerates that mine, log, pump, and otherwise extract valuable fuels from the land to support the backbone of American enterprise have dominated the economic landscape in eastern Kentucky far as long as 90 years. In an effort to assist in the development of local civic capacity to create economic activity, the Kentucky Department of Tourism, through a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) commissioned the development of a Comprehensive Adventure Tourism Plan for Eastern Kentucky. The purpose of the plan is to evaluate distressed counties in eastern Kentucky in order to develop local civic capacity to plan for and maximize the regional impact of the emerging adventure tourism industry. The outcome of the plan is to identify and document the existing resources, assets and opportunities available for adventure activities and establish a strategy for developing a more susbstantial adventure tourism market. In addition, the planning process will help to develop organizational resources to support ongoing coordination and implementation to expand on the opportunities. Finally, this plan will quantify the physical, economic, financial and liability issues to support effective decision-making for future investment and priority action plan development. The Kentucky Department of Tourism retained PROS Consulting, LLC to prepare the Comprehensive Adventure Tourism Plan for Eastern Kentucky (Plan). PROS Consulting (PROS Team) applied its extensive experience in recreation, sports and tourism to deliver a plan that establishes a vision for the adventure tourism, melding together the strengths of the tangible and intangible assets to create a strong foundation for the future. This plan is built upon the collective vision and capacity of leadership throughout the designated region and state officials. It does not suggest the departure from the traditional mainstays of the regional economy, but provides a recommended course of action to achieve the goals of both the region and the state in responsible tourism development. The plan that follows outlines the steps for a sustainable investment in the economic revitalization of eastern Kentucky through adventure tourism. The following report presents the analysis process, summary of findings and recommendations.

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SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS A concerted and strategic effort to build a successful adventure tourism destination attracts both public and private investment to enhance and develop community infrastructure including roads, utilities, and technology. Reliable tourism enterprise produces diversified employment opportunities for residents and newcomers that are not always the highest paying, but are service oriented and therefore appeal to a broader segment of the population including young professionals, people with disabilities and working elders. The first priority of this plan involved a thorough examination of the region’s strengths, challenges, opportunities and threats. This exercise included analyses of environmental, socio-economic and political, community infrastructure and market appeal. OVERALL PERCEPTIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES

• Kentucky State Parks and State Resort Parks are tremendous attractions and are well maintained. • Developing venues for trail sports are a big priority for the region, including hiking, mountain

biking, ATV and equestrian trails. • Eastern Kentucky has a rich history and authentic culture that is a source of pride for residents and

is well received by visitors. • Many popular adventure sports like rock climbing, mountain biking, and whitewater kayaking and

rafting have renowned natural venues in Eastern Kentucky. • Eastern Kentucky’s tourism resources are seemingly unlimited and generally underutilized. • There is a great need for developing and improving infrastructure within Eastern Kentucky

communities that will support increased visitation. • Tourism support services including quantity and quality of accommodations, restaurants and

service providers will need to be developed as visitation demands to the area increase. • Coordinated marketing efforts could result in stronger and more sustained tourism in the region.

REGIONAL CONSTRAINTS AND CHALLENGES

• workforce readiness and reliability • a need for additional tourism service amenities (accommodations and dining predominantly) • historical territorialism among counties and jurisdictions for tourism markets • a lack of reliable capital to pursue long-term facility development • a need for updated regional base data from which to plan improved visitation • no sense of regional connectivity for the visitor • disjointed marketing and promotional campaigns • little or no sustainable funding mechanism to support regional tourism development • major trail venues are still in planning and development phases

The region includes many counties which have leveraged their resources and opportunities to build and sustain the necessary infrastructure of roads and access, utilities, and technology. Additionally, state leadership over the years has consistently supported efforts to enhance and improve the infrastructure that promotes overall quality of life in the region.

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Eastern Kentucky has both existing and potential options for visiting tourists. The popular existing options include numerous historical and cultural attractions, events and festivals; limited golf courses of varying levels of upkeep and quality; numerous fishing and hunting opportunities with the proper permits; wildlife viewing; and a select list of recommended driving tours. Beyond the more tangible aspects of infrastructure, eastern Kentucky communities have also developed successful social support services that aggressively pursue community enhancement. These services include, but are not limited to tourism commissions, community action committees, and community parks and event centers. Addressing these challenges requires a clear vision and mission that guides the Commonwealth, Area Development Districts, regional tourism development organizations and trail authorities, local counties, and its residents in achieving its full potential. Following is a suggested guiding vision and mission of Eastern Kentucky Adventure Tourism that promotes the area as a great place to live, work and visit. VISION The vision is for eastern Kentucky to be recognized as one of the great destinations of the United States – with a celebration of Appalachian heritage and life; innovative and quality trail systems; world-class adventure recreation venues; authentic frontier culture and art amenities; a rich blend of retail, restaurants, accommodations and businesses supporting the tourism economy; and special event activities – all in a setting of rugged Appalachia that offers both active and passive recreation. MISSION The mission of eastern Kentucky is to create an adventure tourism environment with coordinated marketing, programming, communications, and well-maintained facilities that fosters synergy among its private operators, public agencies and governments, quasi-governmental and/or non-profit organizations, educational institutions and residents as a primary destination for adventure tourism enthusiasts. GOALS/OBJECTIVES The Eastern Kentucky Adventure Tourism Comprehensive Master Plan objectives include:

• Create a year-round adventure destination and increased outdoor recreation activities in the region

• Create a platform for success for participants and leaders of the adventure tourism initiative

• Preserve, enliven, and interpret the historical and cultural aspects of the region • Complete the conceptual development of future and potential adventure recreation and

tourism attractions and amenities in context with existing and envisioned success • Fulfill the requirements for a signature adventure tourism destination as set out by the

Commonwealth • To maximize the value of the natural and cultural resources as economic and community

assets while controlling the financial investment by public sources.

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SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS Following review of the insights provided by interviews and surveys with community leaders, the region that emerged as the recommended area of focus includes the following 18 counties as depicted in Figure 1:

• Pike • Floyd • Magoffin • Morgan • Menifee • Powell • Estill • Breathitt • Knott • Letcher • Harlan • Wolfe • Martin • Bell • Johnson • Perry

Figure 1 – Pilot study area recommendation • Bath • Rowan

As indicated throughout this report, there are traditional adventure recreation and tourism activities and markets that eastern Kentucky is uniquely equipped to develop further. Therefore, the recommended core program markets include:

• Paddle Sports • Rock Climbing and Rappelling • Trail Venues • Lake Sports • Wildlife viewing

Tourism creates value in a community specifically surrounding areas of cultural, historic, or recreational significance. It has been repeatedly determined through statistical and qualitative analysis that private property values surrounding tourism and recreation amenities grows exponentially year after year in contrast to areas without proximity to these resources or enhancements. Specifically, resources supporting adventure tourism or activities that rely on natural settings produce not only tremendous community value, but also become a source of great local pride.

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Following this analysis PROS detailed a suggested positioning platform from which the region can build a concerted branding campaign. The foundation positioning suggested for adventure tourism in eastern Kentucky is:

Adventure Terrain – Nature’s Playground “Adventure Terrain – Nature’s Playground” is suggested to be a potential branding campaign that is inclusive for visitors of all skills levels, backgrounds and interests. The examples below help to illustrate how this branding platform can communicate eastern Kentucky’s adventure messages:

• The area’s adventurous terrain provides for world-class experiences in a wild and untamed landscape that appeal to enthusiasts in extreme trail sports, whitewater paddling and rock climbing.

• There are plentiful opportunities for people seeking softer adventures such as hiking, milder trail and paddle sports, guided climbing and rappelling for beginners, wildlife viewing, and lake sports.

• The legendary historical and cultural attributes of the region enrich the experiences of all visitors.

• The multitude and diversity of adventure-based opportunities encourages visitors to plan extended stays that incorporate multiple adventure experiences throughout the region.

• The multitude and diversity of adventure-based opportunities encourages repeat visits to participate in new experiences in a familiar setting.

Standard icons and imagery can be used in conjunction with the creative design of the branding campaign to graphically illustrate the variety of activities available in the region for visitors of diverse interests and skill levels. The creative design themes should be uniformly used with all promotional literature, information and directional signage, and other materials utilized to interface with current and potential visitors to the area. Within the broad categories of activity, PROS identified sub-classifications and has determined primary and secondary markets, as appropriate, for each. The recommended market segmentation follows several important themes established throughout this report and outlined below:

• It will be essential to draw participants and customers from the local community (year-round and seasonal residents), the known tourism base, and those who reside within an eight (8) hour drive of the region

• It will be important to concentrate on self-guided, diversified, extended-stay visitation patterns from targeted market segments

• Partnerships and collaborations within the region among private and public operators will motivate visitation of multiple events and facilities, and local business leadership should be encouraged to continue alliances that promote both efficiencies and group sales

• Harmonious and productive relationships with Discover Today’s ATVs, the communications service bureau of the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America (SVIA), and International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) is essential to maintaining appropriate safety and maintenance standards for multi-use trails and usage regulations

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• To facilitate and consolidate the marketing efforts stated within, it is critical to employ a first-rate marketing firm or staff to properly hone and consistently deliver the intended messages about eastern Kentucky adventure tourism to the designated market segments

• It is essential to maintain base-line data and reference materials on the current trends and expenditures within the designated counties from out-of-county visitors

The potential growth in economic activity in the region due to a successful regional tourism initiative is strong. This is supported through the region’s ability to attract and expose new participants to these sports that might have some reluctance to experience the activities, by providing a diverse environment that appeal to a broader segment of both the current and prospective markets. For the pursuit of adventure recreation and tourism visitors both a local and target market exists.

• The local market is classified as those that are full-time and seasonal residents of the 18-county pilot study area, segmented by age, and near-local non-residents who are within a one (1) hour drive-time

• The target market is made up of those that reside in the known annual visitor base that is accessible through information gathered by the county tourism commissions and area development districts in the region, and those within a specified market area based on published adventure travel and vacation trends.

ACTION PLAN • ORGANIZE EXPECTATIONS, ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES • DEVELOP REGIONAL GOALS FOR SHORT, MID, LONG TERM • MAINTAIN REGIONAL BASE DATA FOR TOURISM IMPACT • CREATE A UNIFIED BRAND AND MARKETING STRATEGY

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

• LAND OWNER LIABILITY RELIEF (STATUTE 411.190) • TAX INCENTIVES FOR LAND USAGE • INCENTIVES AND SUPPORT FOR NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT • TRANSIENT ROOM TAX TO SUPPORT INITIATIVE • STATEWIDE ATV PERMITTING

LOCAL RESIDENT DEVELOPMENT • CUSTOMER SERVICE TRAINING • REIMBURSEMENT GRANTS FOR ADULT EDUCATION • COMMUNITY FORUMS

FACILITIES • SKYWARD TRAIL SYSTEM • SIGNAGE, GPS MAPPING AND INFORMATION CENTERS

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SUMMARY OF MARKET ANALYSIS Projecting a participation base for the eastern Kentucky adventure tourism is not an exact science. Analyzing recent vacation travel trends and the available markets located within a reasonable drive-time, a foundation for participation was formulated. Based on American vacation trends – traveling by car is still the most popular transportation, small towns and rural areas rank second in most visited areas, and adventure travel vacations are on the rise – an eight (8) hour drive-time market (Figure 2 on the following page) for the eastern Kentucky adventure tourism study area was defined and analyzed. Major metropolitan statistical areas located within the eight-hour drive-time market were also analyzed for participatory data in selected adventure tourism or extreme sports activities. MSAs were targeted for their dense populations and relative concise marketing boundaries as opposed to the entire eight-hour drive-time. Select MSAs analyzed within the drive time market established include:

• Atlanta • Cincinnati/Hamilton • Chicago/Gary/Lake County • Cleveland/Akron • Columbus • Detroit/Ann Arbor/Flint • Indianapolis • Norfolk/Virginia Beach/Newport News • Milwaukee/Racine • St. Louis • Washington/Baltimore

It is assumed that as the adventure tourism industry in eastern Kentucky matures, the percentage of new participants to the area will gradually decline; however, it is not assumed that new participants will ever account for less than fifteen to twenty percent of total visitation. Applying the visitation factors to the target market yields an estimated 132,651 total annual party visitations to the region. Using a regional multiplier (RIMS II) from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, each spending profile was modeled.

Figure 2 - Drive time analysis

Estimated total annual economic impact (output) of the adventure tourism market has the potential to range from $54.0 million to $99.0 million impact to the region. The potential increase in the work force is 824 to 1,505 full time equivalent laborers.

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SITUATIONAL ASSESSMENT The first priority of this plan involved a thorough examination of the region’s strengths, challenges, opportunities and threats. This exercise was completed using the following meta-categories to guide the analyses:

• Environmental • Socio-economic and Political • Community Infrastructure • Market Appeal

The following findings were gathered from general research of contemporary social issues of the region, deduced from informal interviews with local residents and tourism service industry employees, and from attendance at the Eastern Kentucky Leadership Conference conducted in Pikeville on April 26-27, 2007.

STUDY AREA Eastern Kentucky as a whole has both tremendous opportunities, as well as constraints associated with any strategy of economic development. For purposes of this plan, eastern Kentucky is defined initially as the 33-county region encompassing the Kentucky’s Appalachians and Daniel Boone Country tourism districts (Figure 3) designated as the area of initial study within the scope of this project. The project scope required that the 33 original counties identified undergo preliminary study to determine a smaller, pilot region in which to focus the Plan. This determination involved a thorough review of many factors including stakeholder assessments, regional resource assessments, and availability of political capital that can be leveraged for the Plan’s success. Figure 3 –Preliminary area of study

KENTUCKY’S APPALACHIANS COUNTIES (15) • Bath • Magoffin • Boyd • Martin • Carter • Menifee • Elliott • Montgomery • Floyd • Morgan • Greenup • Pike • Johnson • Rowan • Lawrence

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DANIEL BOONE COUNTRY COUNTIES (18) • Bell • Lee • Breathitt • Leslie • Clay • Letcher • Estill • Owsley • Harlan • Perry • Jackson • Powell • Knott • Rockcastle • Knox • Whitley • Laurel • Wolfe

ARC “ECONOMICALLY DISTRESSED AREAS” The purpose of the Comprehensive Adventure Tourism Plan for Eastern Kentucky is to stimulate the existing economic health of the region and specifically to provide opportunities for sustainable economic development to areas within the region classified as “distressed areas” per the criteria of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) through responsible adventure tourism. The area of focused delineated within this plan (Figure 4) includes the following counties classified as majority distressed, at-risk or transitional areas:

• Bath At-Risk • Bell Distressed

FIGURE 12 - ECONOMICALLY DISTRESSED COUNTIES

Figure 4 – ARC distressed counties

• Breathitt Distressed • Estill Distressed • Floyd Distressed • Harlan Distressed • Johnson Distressed • Knott Distressed • Letcher Distressed • Magoffin Distressed • Martin Distressed • Menifee Distressed • Morgan Distressed • Perry Distressed • Pike At-Risk • Powell Distressed • Rowan At-Risk • Wolfe Distressed

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ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Environmentally, the region is embedded in the Appalachian highlands and is defined largely by extremely steep terrain crisscrossed by narrow canyons and blanketed with thick, mixed forests of hardwoods, conifers and dense undergrowth. The topography of the landscape has presented tremendous challenges to communities and private enterprise for development space for roads, utilities, industry and otherwise. ENVIRONMENTAL STRENGTHS The following environmental strengths of the region supporting the development and maintenance of a quality adventure tourism industry were identified:

• There are substantial quantities of wilderness and back country in eastern Kentucky. • The natural beauty and richness of wilderness areas in eastern Kentucky are renowned. • The region features rich and unique wildlife viewing opportunities. • Environmental clean-up from industrial impacts have had many localized success cases. • There are multiple natural features with notable adventure recreational appeal to visitors including

motorized trail sports, mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, whitewater and paddling sports, horseback riding, and hot air ballooning.

• The eastern Kentucky climate has distinguished seasons, but none are too extreme. • The geology and soils of the region are conducive to sustainable trail development with a

responsible maintenance plan. • There are multiple lakes in the area which feature quality fishing, swimming and other lake sport

opportunities.

ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES The following environmental challenges of the region regarding the development and maintenance of a quality adventure tourism industry were identified:

• Eastern Kentucky is characterized by severely steep topography. • Notable natural features attractive to ‘adventurists’ are sometimes very remote and have limited

access. • The area’s geology and soils have limitations to provide multiple use trails without significant

maintenance efforts.

ENVIRONMENTAL OPPORTUNITIES The following environmental opportunities for the region aligned with the development and maintenance of a quality adventure tourism industry were identified:

• Regional topography lends to adventure recreation venues that can become renowned for being suited for advanced enthusiasts, while current and planned venues also provide opportunities for beginners.

• Adventure recreation and tourism development promotes environmental stewardship attitudes and efforts among both visitors and residents.

• Tourism demands can promote balance in current state and federal environmental policies that allow for more managed interaction between people and the environment.

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• Adventure tourism success promotes more sustainable land management practices by private land owners.

• The array of the area’s natural resources provides diverse opportunities for visitors, encouraging multiple visits and longer stays.

ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS The following environmental threats to the region from the development and maintenance of a quality adventure tourism industry were identified:

• Increased usage of trails, off-road byways and wilderness areas that are not properly managed can proliferate erosion, litter and other forms of undesirable impact.

• Industry environmental impacts in the area, particularly among mining, logging, oil, and gas operations, require coordination and accountability to protect the quality and safety of the adventure recreation experience.

• Unmanaged interaction between increased visitation and wildlife can diminish the quality of the natural habitat.

• Traditional draw-down policies for area lakes popular with both residents and visitors inhibits the tourism appeal of the resource for 12-month recreational use.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL ASSESSMENT Eastern Kentucky is largely defined by the culture of its residents and their rich history in living the traditional rural Appalachian lifestyle. This provides both rustic appeal to outsiders as well as present multiple socio-economic challenges that are viewed by many community leaders as serious obstacles to the economic advancement of the area. Communities within the area demonstrated progressive and strategic efforts in pursuing the appropriate political support and development that are necessary to allow for a thriving adventure tourism industry to emerge. This assessment involved multiple interviews of both appointed and elected officials who were willing to take controversial stands on issues at times in their communities for the benefit of building a brighter future for residents through adventure tourism development. SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL STRENGTHS The following socio-economic and political strengths of the region supporting the development and maintenance of a quality adventure tourism industry were identified:

• Local residents are generally described as friendly and open, exhibiting a true interest in the promotion of their hometown and its assets.

• Community leaders are committed to economic diversification. • Elected officials are open to policies that encourage and support adventure tourism growth and

sustainability. • Community leaders are dedicated to pursuing support from the Commonwealth and federal

governments to assist with tourism development. • A sizeable workforce is available in local communities to support labor demands of an adventure

tourism economy.

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• Numerous governmental, quasi-governmental and civic organizations promote education and skill development within the local population for the purposes of stabilizing their future in the greater world community.

• Multiple counties and towns have successful tourism agencies or commissions that promote the assets of the area to visitors.

SOCIO ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL CHALLENGES The following socio-economic and political challenges of the region inhibiting the development and maintenance of a quality adventure tourism industry were identified:

• Educational attainment in eastern Kentucky has been improving, but must remain a regional and state priority.

• Eastern Kentucky communities struggle to keep their young people once educated, therefore losing opportunities for fresh leadership and expertise.

• At times eastern Kentucky leaders perceive the needs of their communities come second to other areas in the Commonwealth that consistently produce more tourism revenue for the state.

• There is ubiquitous frustration over the distribution and uses of coal severance funds from the Commonwealth. Numerous community leaders expressed concern that coal severance funds are generated from eastern Kentucky counties and often spent in other areas of the Commonwealth, instead of tending to the needs of their communities from which the funds are derived.

• Assessable tax bases are universally low compared to other areas of the Commonwealth, resulting in limited capacity for locally-derived public investments.

• Tourism, whereas supported by most community leaders, is not always accepted by local residents as a viable economic enterprise.

• Opportunities for small business development are generally speculative and require more investment than people are sometimes willing to risk in order to be financially successful in the long-term.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL OPPORTUNITIES The following socio-economic and political opportunities that exist within the region from the development and maintenance of a quality adventure tourism industry were identified:

• The traditional Appalachian culture of eastern Kentucky creates appeal and easily resonates with many outside visitors.

• Numerous community colleges and technical schools in the region are dedicated to community development and can provide training and skill clinics for a local workforce.

• Adventure tourism promotes activities that are among the more popular outdoor recreation activities with local populations, specifically hunting, fishing and ATV trails.

• Regulated and managed ATV trail systems can potentially improve the injury and fatality rates among locals that are currently the result of non-compliance with industry recommended safety procedures.

• The “economically distressed” status of many eastern Kentucky counties enables the region to become eligible for public funding and grants.

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• Sustainable adventure tourism development increases the assessable tax base within eastern Kentucky counties over time, thereby providing future capital for either direct funding or investment collateral.

• The undeveloped status of many eastern Kentucky communities provides opportunities for select private investment success.

• The popularity of ATV’s by both residents and visitors, and current lack of vehicle permitting regulations creates opportunities for public revenue generation supporting trail maintenance and management.

• Well-planned adventure tourism developments can assist to provide an enhanced opportunity to effectively utilize coal severance funds to be reinvested in the communities of eastern Kentucky.

• The popularity and quality of eastern Kentucky’s adventure tourism attractions can elevate the region’s status among the greater Commonwealth and therefore boost regional morale on the whole.

• Adventure tourism as a reliable industry has tremendous appeal to younger professionals and can assist the region’s ability to keep its young people.

• Employment within adventure tourism is predominantly service-oriented and provides numerous jobs that can appeal to young people, people with disabilities, people without high school or advanced degrees, and working elders.

• Jobs in adventure tourism can be promoted as “new” and “edgy” and are largely a departure from traditional employment opportunities in local communities, therefore potentially encouraging an attitude-shift among residents entrenched in a welfare-dependent lifestyle.

• Small business assistance programs through grants and low-interest loans are present and active in the region.

• Responsible adventure recreation activities promote a healthy lifestyle of diet, exercise, and quality time in the outdoors for both residents and visitors.

• A sustainable adventure tourism industry in eastern Kentucky can diversify the local economies, creating strength from a lessened dependence on traditional economic mainstays.

• A successful, regional adventure tourism initiative demands multi-jurisdictional cooperation among governmental, quasi-governmental and civic organizations.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL THREATS The following socio-economic and political threats within the region can potentially slow the development and maintenance of a quality adventure tourism industry were identified:

• The immediacy of social issues including healthcare, education, and community infrastructure can overshadow the importance of investing in economic diversification and therefore limit the available local funds to support adventure tourism development.

• An untrained workforce can derail an adventure tourism industry before it reaches its full potential. For example, on numerous visits to the area PROS team members performed eight (8) “mystery shopper” exercises at randomly selected hotels, gas stations and local businesses throughout the region. When asked, “What is there to do around here?” the answer was “nothing” or “not much” without any further explanation on four out of eight responses.

• The need for project sustainability could hinder the ability to apply for state and federal funding.

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• Due to the legislative process, policy development realities make reliable, sustained support unpredictable.

• Unprotected private land-owner liability can prevent the conjunctive use of private and public land for integrated trail systems.

• The delay for small, start-up businesses to experience reasonable financial return on their initial investment can outpace the resources available to them.

• Local desire to experience visible, short-term financial return from adventure tourism can endanger the required local commitment needed to build a reliable tourism industry over time.

• Poor cooperation among governmental, quasi-governmental and civic organizations can detract from the goals of a regional adventure tourism effort.

• Lack of a formalized funding mechanism to support on-going regional adventure tourism promotion can jeopardize opportunities and decrease likelihood of the initiative’s success.

COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE ASSESSMENT The community infrastructure in eastern Kentucky is generally sufficient to support the development and maintenance of a viable adventure tourism industry. The region includes many counties who have appropriately leveraged their resources and opportunities to build and sustain the necessary infrastructure of roads and access, utilities, and technology. Additionally, state leadership over the years has consistently supported efforts to enhance and improve the infrastructure that promotes overall quality of life in the region. Beyond the more tangible aspects of infrastructure typically referred to, eastern Kentucky communities have also developed successful social support services that aggressively pursue community enhancement. These services include, but are not limited to tourism commissions, community action committees, and community parks and event centers. COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE STRENGTHS The following community infrastructure strengths of the region supporting the development and maintenance of a quality adventure tourism industry were identified:

• Roads and highways providing access to and between communities are very well developed and maintained.

• The area includes multiple regional airports that currently support private aircraft, and could eventually support small commuter services on a limited basis.

• Communications and technology infrastructure is updated in all large towns, and present in many smaller communities throughout the region.

• Social support services in most counties are effective in their pursuit of improving quality of life for the local residents.

• All counties have either a dedicated tourism commission within its bounds, or a regional organization that currently promotes the assets of the area to visitors.

• Water and waste water utilities in larger towns seem generally reliable and becoming more updated.

• The area boasts numerous developed and well-maintained parks and recreation areas.

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COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE CHALLENGES The following community infrastructure challenges of the region inhibiting the development and maintenance of a quality adventure tourism industry were identified:

• Water and waste water utilities are currently not reliable or updated in some smaller towns and counties seeking adventure tourism development. Great strides have been made in select areas.

• Many areas attractive for adventure tourism activities are remote and present access and security challenges (ie. trail and trailhead patrolling, etc)

• There are current concerns over the ability to adequately patrol and provide enforcement of usage policies on backcountry trails.

• Backcountry trail signage and information centers are not currently adequate to support adventure tourism with a reputation of high quality.

• Integrated trail systems within and between counties are in varying stages of development. • Accessibility to natural features and areas attractive for more advanced-skill adventure recreation

and tourism can be problematic due to remoteness, limited roads, and/or private land ownership.

COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE OPPORTUNITIES The following community infrastructure opportunities that exist within the region from the development and maintenance of a quality adventure tourism industry were identified:

• Counties within the designated pilot study area support the development of integrated, multi-use trail systems.

• A responsible adventure tourism industry will encourage and demand the continued upgrading of regional roads, utilities and technology.

• Increased demand will provide more stable private investment opportunities to enhance the availability and quality of hospitality services in the region specifically including accommodations and restaurants.

• Visitor demands provide greater support for further development of the region’s park and recreational amenities.

• Properly developed and “signed” backcountry trails provide a safer venue for both residents and visitors.

• ATV permitting and enforcement can assist to fund the provision of necessary security and patrolling along trails and at trailheads.

COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE THREATS The following community infrastructure threats within the region can potentially slow the development and maintenance of a quality adventure tourism industry were identified:

• Unreliable water and waste water utilities can seriously detract from the success of a tourism industry.

• Limited accommodations and eateries in the short term can reduce the quality of the visitor experience.

• Increased patrolling of trails and trailheads can greatly burden either police or volunteer organizations.

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MARKET APPEAL ASSESSMENT The Appalachian Mountains of eastern Kentucky was the site of one of the most infamous American legends – the Hatfield-McCoy feud. This region features a wealth of traditional Appalachian lore that has both a colorful and romantic edge, and has inspired folk music and art with great reputation. Conversely, the region has also suffered from a more recent reputation in the last 30 years as an area that has suffered tremendous environmental pollution and impact from mining, logging and petrochemical extraction. In even more recent times the region has developed a reputation as having pockets of great poverty and socio-economic distress. To adventure enthusiasts, however, eastern Kentucky is widely embraced as an undiscovered gem. The region’s terrain and rich, natural beauty has attracted mountain bikers, ATV riders, rock climbers and whitewater enthusiasts for the last several decades to some areas within the region that can easily be labeled world-class. MARKET APPEAL STRENGTHS The following market appeal strengths of the region supporting the development and maintenance of a quality adventure tourism industry were identified:

• Eastern Kentucky’s history and culture includes events and accomplishments that are renowned throughout the United States.

• The Hatfield-McCoy feud has achieved legendary status in American history, evoking imagery of a wild and untamed landscape.

• The Red River Gorge is widely accepted as one of the top five greatest all-around rock climbing areas in the country, and among the top ten worldwide.

• Cave Run Lake is surrounded by terrain that mountain bikers around the state and beyond acclaim as potentially rivaling the more famous venues in Moab and the American West in beauty, technical difficulty, and recreational experience.

• The Russell Fork River bordering Virginia features raging Class V whitewater, particularly through the Russell Fork Gorge, that due to only four releases annually is revered as a renowned and rare species of incredible whitewater.

• Kentucky ATV trails have become increasingly popular to adventure tourists in the last eight to ten years and feature some of the most robust, challenging, and rewarding ATV experiences east of the Mississippi River.

• The region’s rugged terrain and seemingly untouched wilderness has great potential appeal to adventurists who are seeking a more exclusive experience.

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MARKET APPEAL CHALLENGES The following market appeal challenges of the region inhibiting the development and maintenance of a quality adventure tourism industry were identified:

• Surrounding regions in West Virginia feature similar recreational and adventure tourism opportunities that are very well marketed, and therefore can present respectable competition for the target market segments.

• Eastern Kentucky can be perceived as extremely rural with little infrastructure. • The region’s recent reputation of being economically distressed can often discourage a potential

visitor. • Industry must be enticed to participate in the implementation of this regional plan and its

requirements because of their status as large private landowners in the area. • To the new visitors with whom the area’s more famous natural features attractive to adventure

tourism may not resonate, Kentucky can represent a lot of unknowns. • Information regarding services, accommodations and attractions throughout the entire region is not

always readily available via the internet.

MARKET APPEAL OPPORTUNITIES The following market appeal opportunities that exist within the region from the development and maintenance of a quality adventure tourism industry were identified:

• Positioning eastern Kentucky adventure tourism opportunities to be complimentary to similar opportunities in West Virginia and other neighboring states will bring greater exposure to the whole region.

• Eastern Kentucky features extreme and undiscovered adventure tourism resources. • The region includes adventure recreation and tourism experiences that range in difficulty and can

appeal to a broad segment of users, including those with little or no previous experience to those with advanced skills.

• The region is relatively remote, but surrounded by approximately 20 million people within a six-hour drive.

• The quality of existing adventure recreation and tourism venues is outstanding and has a great national reputation to build upon.

• Kentucky currently has other notable international tourism successes (ie. Kentucky Derby) to bring notoriety and exposure to the opportunities in the region.

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MARKET APPEAL THREATS The following market appeal threats within the region can potentially slow the development and maintenance of a quality adventure tourism industry were identified:

• Uncooperative marketing efforts supporting a regional tourism initiative cannot effectively deliver the area’s message to the intended targets.

• Poor or limited market strategies can result in sizeable promotional investments with little return. • Packaging information and messages in ways that does not appeal or resonate with the visitor and

known visitor preferences can severely inhibit the process of converting interested visitors into confirmed visitors.

• Limited and incomplete information available on the internet about the area, prominent tourism services, accommodations, and alternatives can discourage visitors by presenting a sense of being underdeveloped and having poor service quality.

• Inconsistent training and customer service values in hotels, restaurants, and other points of interaction with visitors can increase the difficulty of attracting and keeping a sufficient visitor base.

• Poor signage, visitor information, and no sense of arrival can detract from the experiential impressions made on the visitor.

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COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS In order to more accurately position the recommendations within this adventure tourism plan, PROS conducted a detailed comparative analysis on areas within the United States that had similar or comparable characteristics to eastern Kentucky. This exercise not only strengthens the evidence that adventure tourism is a viable tool for economic development, but also reveals many proven ‘best practices’ that have been utilized in other regions of the country to create a more robust and successful adventure tourism profile. The specific areas reviewed include:

• Garrett County, Maryland • Garrett County was selected because of its similarities with eastern Kentucky’s terrain, its location

as a part of Appalachia, and its successful history of leveraging adventure tourism to create sustainable and substantial economic development in what was once the most impoverished county in the state.

• • The Ozarks in Arkansas • The Ozarks served as an excellent comparative analysis in this study because the region features

similar landscape qualities, recreational and tourism appeal, its demographic similarities to the study area, and also has successfully leveraged adventure tourism for notable rural economic development.

• • The Berkshires region in western Massachusetts • The Berkshires was analyzed as a relevant comparison to eastern Kentucky because of it as a rural

destination, and its great success in regional branding involving multiple counties.

GARRETT COUNTY, MARYLAND Garrett County is the westernmost county in the State of Maryland and encompasses 657 square miles within the Appalachian Mountains. The estimated population of the county in 2005 according to the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development was 30,150, with the percentage age distribution in the following order from greatest to least: ages 20-44 (30.5%), ages 45-64 (27.4%), ages 5-19 (20.6%), ages 65 and over (16.1%), and finally ages five and under (5.1%). The county boasts the highest elevation in Maryland, 3,360 feet, and the largest inland body of water in the state, Deep Creek Lake, both of which are well-leveraged for purposes of adventure recreation and tourism. Garrett County hosted the 1972 and 1992 Olympic Whitewater Trials, and the 1989 World Canoe and Kayak Championships on the Savage River. The renowned Youghiogheny River featuring class V whitewater has long been a draw for whitewater adventure enthusiasts. Deep Creek Lake draws several hundred thousand visitors every year to the county according to the Deep Creek Chamber of Commerce, and is surrounded by numerous rental homes and chalets, hotels and motels, condominiums, restaurants and cafes, specialty retail stores, marinas and parks. The County benefits from having 90,000 acres of public lands within its bounds that are open and managed

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for recreational purposes. Garrett County is also home to the Wisp Resort, Maryland’s only ski area, and the new Adventure Sports Center International (ASCI), the nation’s newest and most unique whitewater park. Economically, the County has previously been the most impoverished county in the State according to local and state officials. In 1991, the unemployment rate in Garrett County was consistently 10.9% and average annual household income was $28,040. Today the economic climate in Garrett County is very different, largely from development that has centralized around the industries supported by recreation and tourism derived from the area’s abundant natural resources. In 2006, Garrett County was ranked by the State of Maryland as having the least affordable housing, when average home values are compared to average household income. The assessable tax base of the county has increased by approximately $1,000,000,000 (billion) over the last ten years as a result of real estate values around Deep Creek Lake skyrocketing. Garrett County unemployment rates have dropped to 4.8%, a rate consistently lower than both the State and National averages. Household income has steadily been on the rise and now is estimated to be $45,548. A Community Action Committee is aggressively active in the county creating affordable housing opportunities and providing numerous community services that help to stabilize the large income disparities that have developed among the county’s residents from the influx of a substantial second-home and vacation home market.

Adventure Sports Center International – ASCI Showdown Climbing Competition

Multiple economic analysts have probed the Garrett County situation and outlook for a potential ‘boom - bust’ scenario that could result for drastic increases in property values over a short period of time and all concluded with good news. Due to the County’s unique proximity to areas of great wealth and disposable income in surrounding Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia in particular, the controlled growth the County is managing now for new home and commercial development promises to have a sustainable future. The critical factor for driving the property values in Garrett County to levels that economically “pulled” the area into a completely different financial climate was development around and close to premier adventure recreation attractions and amenities. The developments located around Deep Creek Lake, the Wisp Ski Resort, and the Adventure Sports Center International are consistently among the highest priced properties in the county.

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Best Practices • Garrett County Commissioners have invested substantial county funds in recreation and tourism

developments, despite inconsistent public support in the beginning. Between 2003 and 2007, an approximate total of $23 million of county funds have been invested in recreation and tourism projects for purposes of economic development.

• Garrett County consistently utilized their state legislators to attract and maintain significant state and federal investment in capital development for recreation and tourism development to match county contributions. Between 2003 and 2007, an approximate total of $29 million of state and federal funds have been invested in recreation and tourism projects in Garrett County for purposes of economic development.

• Garrett County administrators have worked to encourage and provide incentives for responsible development in designated zones around the county. This includes sizeable high-end residential areas, commercial zones around the county and the lake, and new industrial parks.

• Garrett County administrators have coordinated efforts with state and federal agencies that manage public lands within the county to keep these resources accessible and managed responsibly for public recreation.

• Garrett County Community Action and Garrett County Economic Development Corporation have united with county government to improve roads and access, utilities, available technology in the county, services for the disabled and aging, and affordable housing. These quality of life enhancements have proven critical for attracting new businesses and employers.

OZARKS REGION, ARKANSAS The area commonly called “The Ozarks” covers much of the southern half of Missouri, extensive portions of northwest and north central Arkansas, and extreme southeast Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma. Of this, six counties, Baxter, Carroll, Boone, and Marion in Arkansas and Stone and Taney in Missouri cover 3,554 square miles to form the basis of the North Central Ozark Region (NCOR) along the Arkansas-Missouri border. There are four primary physiographic sections: two plateaus (Springfield and Salem) and two mountain regions (Saint Francois and the Boston.) The Ozark region has a distinct culture similar to Appalachia and the Upland South. Ozark families tend to have lived in the area since the 19th century. Growth in the Branson area is changing this trend

however. The estimated 2006 population in the 6-county region is 197,507 with the percentage age distribution in the following order from greatest to least: ages 45 – 64 (28.9 %), ages 20 – 44 (28.6 %), 65 and over (20.0%), ages 5 – 19 (16.9%) and under age 5 (5.7%). Population growth varies widely among the age brackets. From 2000 to 2006, it ranged from -3.2% to 17.5% with an overall growth rate for the 6 county area of 8.4%. From 2006 to 2011, growth is projected to range from -2.6 % to 12.1% with an average rate of 5.6%. In both time frames, growth occurred at a double digit pace in the over 45 age brackets, supporting the area’s reputation as a retirement mecca. Median Household

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Income in 2006 was $36,276 and is expected to increase by 17.6% by 2011. The economy is driven by tourism, centered on abundant natural and manmade features. In the 1950s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began construction of what would become a 445-mile-long-waterway with 18 locks and dams. Construction spanned more than a quarter of a century at a cost of $1.3 billion. This navigation system resulted in a multitude of lakes across 4 states including Table Rock Lake, Bull Shoals Lake and Lake Norfolk. Other significant features in the area or nearby include: Arkansas’ highest mountains, the Boston Mountains; and the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, the first U.S. National Park based on a river system. Tourism is the growth industry of the Ozarks as evidenced by nearby Branson, in the heart of the Ozark Mountains in southwest Missouri. Similar to the impact that the world-renowned Kentucky destination of Louisville provides to the Commonwealth, Branson provides an international destination within a few hundred miles of the Arkansas Ozarks that has become a popular gateway for the area. The economic impact of the City of Branson for the entire region cannot be overstated, as it’s prominence increased dramatically after the CBS program “60 Minutes” dubbed the area the “Country Music Mecca”. Branson had 7.2 million visitors in 2006, pumping $1.6 billion in to the local economy. Situated within a day’s drive of 50% of the U.S. population, Branson and the Tri-Lakes (Table Rock, Taneycomo and Bull Shoals) area has been deemed a “U.S Destination with the Most to Offer Groups”, “Best Value”, and “Top 10 Worldwide Holiday Destination” among other accolades by various travel groups. Visitor profiles show that 65% come from more than 301+ miles away. Best Practices

• To fuel new business, the State of Arkansas provides funding sources for start-ups and expansion. Arkansas offers an income tax credit as an incentive for creating new jobs. The credit is based on payroll. Counties are divided into four tiers, based on poverty rate, unemployment, per capita income and population growth with higher incentives given to companies expanding into lower tier areas. Counties in the Ozarks region cover all four tiers.

• Arkansas incentives also include Amendment 82 to fund Super Projects (500 new jobs and $500 million investment.) The Amendment allows the State to issue bonds to fund a prospects’ infrastructure needs based on a cost-benefit analysis.

• To further aid economic development, the State of Arkansas established Development regions. North Central Arkansas Regional Economic Development comprises a district that encompasses this 6-county area plus Howell, Ozark and Tandy in Missouri. This 75- mile circle form a trade area as well as the service, recreational and education region centered on Mountain Home, Arkansas in Baxter County.

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• Target Missouri 3 - TM3 is a public policy developed to assist economic development officials in targeting driver industries. TM3 provides a definition of which industries are drivers of a region’s economy, so that economic development policies and resources can be directed to the most viable parts of the economy.

Various Missouri public departments and the private sector developed an economic development finance guide to provide technical assistance to Missouri communities and the regional-based development partners. The Guide serves as a "how to" manual in accessing and implementing existing economic development initiatives and services. BERKSHIRES, MASSACHUSETTS The Berkshires is a region that encompasses four of the westernmost counties of Massachusetts: Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire. Known for its beautiful terrain and natural playground, the region has grown tremendously from a viable tourism industry that supports year-round visitation. Largely rural compared to the more eastern counties in the state, the Berkshires have benefited from smart tourism development as a part of a larger economic development effort. The Berkshires region caters beautifully to a visitor’s desire to escape, seek romance or embark on outdoor adventures. The area features numerous amenities and attractions that appeal diverse tourism interests and desired activities. Currently twenty-eight state parks, forests, and resorts are in operation as well as twenty-nine private parks exist within the region. Geographically these parks are scattered evenly throughout the area and provide a great foundation to region’s tourism appeal by providing venues for hiking, biking, horseback riding, sightseeing, snowshoeing, paddling, tennis, and golf. As a region known for its natural beauty, the Berkshires deliver other aesthetic attractions in the form of art galleries, centers, and museums. These venues draw the sightseeing crowd to the region in order

to experience a combination of manmade art and pristine natural landscape. Antique shows and sales draw a similar crowd; some come to window shop, while others come ready to spend in order to improve their own antique collections. Aside from art, antiques, and retail shops, the region also boasts plenty of family friendly activities. Four ski resorts consider the Berkshires home and typically attract repeat visitors year after year during the winter months. During summer, thirteen fishing locations, nine

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golf resorts, ten historic sites, nineteen health spas, and twenty-seven annual festivals attract tourists from nearby cities and towns. Adventure tourism and adventure recreation is a strong component to the Berkshires appeal. Whitewater rafting and kayaking, rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking, and lake sports are among the more popular adventure activities. Whereas the Berkshires have not had the tremendous public investment in adventure tourism as Garrett County, Maryland, the region has benefited from well-planned and strategic regional marketing efforts. Much like Garrett County and the Ozarks, however, the Berkshires have grown tourism-based industries to be one of their economic mainstays. The average per capita income of residents within the four-county Berkshires region was reported to be $26,888 in 2005, according to the local economic development agencies. This statistic is projected to be $30,841 by the year 2010 which reflects a 209% increase from the average per capita income reported in 1990 and a 143% increase from 2000. This rapid growth is largely attributed not only to the direct economic impacts of a growing tourism industry, but also from a greater depth in employment opportunities that have come about from large employers moving into the region. As reported in an interview, Armand and Donald Feigenbaum of the General Systems Company have said that, “Berkshire County is a total quality center, where the community, culture, technology, industry, and history reinforce one another. This makes the Berkshires a great place not only to visit but to work, build, and grow a business.” Best Practices

• Regional planners have successfully created a uniform brand for an area that encompasses multiple counties that overrides individual jurisdictions.

• The Berkshires brand resonates well with their target markets and is strategically determined based upon the trends and interests of their visitors.

• Promotional material for touring in the Berkshires is organized based upon activities and interests of the visitors versus geographically oriented.

• The region has developed diversity and depth in its tourism amenities including, but not limited to restaurants, accommodations, attractions and parks.

• The regional leaders have leveraged park, recreation and tourism amenities into a quality of life message that further attracts investors and employers to the area.

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STAKEHOLDER ASSESSMENT The foundation of this plan is input from a wide variety of key stakeholders, community leaders, and user groups of “adventure recreationists.” This input established the principles, values and vision that guide the decision making process for tourism policy, partnerships, and programs. The stakeholder assessment process was divided into two distinct phases to support the goals of the project. The first phase acquired feedback from community leaders representing over 26 counties of the 33-county area of preliminary study. Community input in this phase provided direction and clarity for establishing an area of focus for the pilot study, as mandated in the project’s scope of work. The second phase of community input engaged more intensive focus group and one-on-one leadership interviews to capture the collective vision for developing adventure tourism in the region. This process revealed remarkable consensus on perceptions of developmental constraints, policy needs, and regional priorities to advance economic development through a sustainable adventure tourism industry. As hoped, there were strong correlations between the perceptions of local leaders and stakeholders and the findings of the situational assessment. The following sections detail a summary of general findings, key issues, priorities, and opportunities as shared with us by the stakeholders of this plan.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

Figure 5 – Area of feedback from community leaders

The summary below captures the most significant and consistent findings from the stakeholder interviews and surveys. During the months of March and April 2007, PROS conducted numerous interviews and received feedback through surveys with key leaders and focus groups. In the first phase of the stakeholder assessment, PROS received feedback and direction from twenty (20) community leaders representing 26 counties of the preliminary area of study, an conducted ten (10) focus group sessions with individuals representing varying interests including city, county and state administration; community and economic development organizations; tourism industry associations and businesses; adventure tourism user groups; and interested community members. The stakeholder assessment yielded insight into the perceptions, attitudes, vision, and political will of representatives from all of the 33 counties in the preliminary area of study. Figure 5 demonstrates geographically where feedback was received from community leaders. Public administration officials interviewed and surveyed comprised of directors of multiple Area District Development Offices, elected officials and county executives, a field representative from the Governor’s office, city managers and tourism administrators, city officials and executives, county tourism administrators, and regional tourism development administrators. Leaders were asked to provide feedback on 12 questions related to tourism development constraints and opportunities in Eastern Kentucky, their sense of public perceptions, and their professional vision for the region.

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Representatives from various adventure recreation and tourism industries and users were also interviewed and surveyed in order to capture any consensus on the vision for adventure tourism development in eastern Kentucky from a user’s perspective. Interests represented include whitewater sports; rock climbing, mountain biking, all-terrain vehicles (ATV), horseback riding, hiking, and wildlife viewing. Additionally, owners and operators from retail, dining, accommodations, rental and repair, and general service businesses within the pilot study area were interviewed to gather input from people who are largely dependent on adventure-based tourism for their livelihood. OVERALL PERCEPTIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES The following summary presents overall perceptions and perceived opportunities as expressed by the community leaders when interviewed or by survey:

• Kentucky State Parks and State Resort Parks are tremendous attractions and are well maintained. • Developing venues for trail sports are a big priority for the region, including hiking, mountain

biking, ATV and equestrian trails. • Eastern Kentucky has a rich history and authentic culture that is a source of pride for residents and

is well received by visitors. • Many popular adventure sports like rock climbing, mountain biking, and whitewater kayaking and

rafting have renowned natural venues in Eastern Kentucky. • Eastern Kentucky’s tourism resources are seemingly unlimited and generally underutilized. • There is a great need for developing and improving infrastructure within Eastern Kentucky

communities that will support increased visitation. • Tourism support services including quantity and quality of accommodations, restaurants and

service providers are suffering. • Coordinated marketing efforts could result in stronger and more sustained tourism in the region.

KEY ISSUES AND AREAS OF WEAKNESS Following are the key issues and areas of weakness identified in the community leader interviews and surveys conducted:

• Coordinated and strategic marketing of the region is a key issue that is a source of frustration among communities today.

• A lack of cohesive partnering and communicating among groups, venues, events, etc., has held development back.

• Local attitudes do not always embrace tourism as a viable industry. • Land and resource accessibility is not always as easy as it seems it should be. • Stabilizing income and education levels of residents is a priority for long-term regional success. • Job creation is critical to supporting economic development in Eastern Kentucky. • Emerging from a historical reputation of heavily polluted natural resources despite the state and

region’s success at reclamation and conservation. • Liability concerns are one of the primary inhibitors of public access to private lands for

recreational purposes.

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VALUES AND MANDATES FOR TOURISM IN EASTERN KENTUCKY The following values and mandates for recreation and tourism development were captured in the community leader interviews and surveys:

• Recreation and tourism are not understood by locals for their potential as an economic tool for Eastern Kentucky.

• There is great respect for natural and cultural resources held by the local residents. • The conjunctive use of public and private lands for recreational purposes must be protected and

expanded. • Increased tourism must be balanced to protect the lifestyles and traditions of the local people, and

the quality of the area’s natural resources.

TOURISM SUPPORT NEEDS AND OPERATIONAL ISSUES The summary below details the feedback received on the region’s prioritized areas needing support and operational issues with both ongoing and envisioned tourism venues:

• Basic infrastructure supporting tourism and quality of life need continued attention. • Enforcing and maintaining security at parks and on trails is very important for both residents and

visitors. • Assistance from the state and federal governments for capital investment to assist and partner with

local counties would greatly advance tourism development. • Tourism support services including accommodations, restaurants, and incentives to extend your

stay need to be developed and improved to protect the quality of the visitor experience. • Incentives for private sector investment in the tourism industry, hospitality and customer services

training, and small business development counseling should be advanced. • Agreement on roles and responsibilities of various government agencies, community

organizations, and private enterprise for developing, operating and maintaining tourism venues and amenities is critical.

• Addressing seasonality in visitor volume will help to sustain economic impacts from tourism. • A concentrated effort to develop local non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) to lead and

manage tourism at the local level would help maintain progress.

FUNDING REQUIREMENTS AND PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Following are the funding requirements and partnership opportunities identified in the community leader interviews and surveys that need be addressed in this Plan:

• Funding for trail development and maintenance is a priority. • Funding for cooperative marketing and advertising is greatly needed. • Commitment from local officials and agencies is critical to the region’s success with an adventure

tourism initiative. • Capital funding for any major tourism development will need public sector assistance, but

operations should be cost-recovery. • Federal and state agencies could increase their involvement with local partnerships (public and

private) designed to provide incentives and to develop tourism amenities in the region. • Private enterprise in the tourism industry can expand their pursuit of partnerships designed to

increase overall visitation and length of stay.

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LONG-TERM VIABILITY OF TOURISM The following outline feedback received from our community leader interviews and surveys about the role they see tourism playing in the long-term economic vitality of the region:

• The remoteness of the area makes it very difficult to attract new businesses and manufacturing, but tourism takes advantage of Eastern Kentucky’s great natural resources and friendly people to build a sustainable industry.

• Tourism could provide economic viability when coal and other industrial sectors suffer. • Tourism is the renewable resource Eastern Kentucky needs to grow in the 21st century. • Tourism can be the lifeline and future of Appalachia. • A priority should be to develop an integrated and connected network of multi-use trails. • Local workshops supported by public-private partnerships can greatly improve entrepreneurial

confidence and skill among our local people. • The “sKYward Trail” system needs to be completed.

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PILOT STUDY AREA Following review of the insights provided by interviews and surveys with community leaders, the region that emerges as the recommended area of focus includes the following 18 counties as depicted in Figure 6:

• Pike • Floyd • Magoffin • Morgan • Menifee • Powell • Estill • Breathitt • Knott • Letcher • Harlan • Wolfe • Martin • Bell • Johnson • Perry • Bath • Rowan

PILOT STUDY AREA CRITERIA The 18-county pilot study area was determined based upon a thorough review of the status of infrastructure and progress these areas have towards adventure tourism development. Specifically, the criteria included political capital, the presence of existing ‘anchor tenants’ in the tourism industry, inclusion in ‘sKYward trail coalition, areas classified as ‘economically distressed’ per Appalachian Regional Commission standards, and an area that more easily facilitated multi-jurisdictional cooperation for the purposes of a regional adventure tourism initiative.

Figure 6 – Recommended pilot study area

Regional Political Capital The multi-jurisdictional district defined as the focus for this Adventure Tourism Master Plan must be an area that demonstrates an appropriate level of political capital available to leverage toward the plan’s success. Capital in this sense is defined by both tangible and intangible elements. Tangible Capital Tangible capital is defined more specifically as the availability of real resources that are either currently applied toward tourism development or can be. Within the initial 33 counties of the Appalachian Highlands (region 8) and Daniel Boone Country (region 9) tourism regions there is great diversity of tangible capital available for investment in tourism development. The distribution of those resources are biased towards a few number of counties that have grown a more valuable tax base over the last few decades than their neighbors and peers within eastern Kentucky.

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Tangible capital includes a review of a county’s assessable tax base, ratio of debt service to overall operating expenses, existing annual tourism revenues, and an inventory of both public and private services within the tourism and recreation economy. Intangible Capital Intangible capital is far more difficult to define beyond a measure of enthusiasm demonstrated by community leaders toward the value of tourism to eastern Kentucky’s overall economic health. For purposes of this plan, it is assumed that community leaders have acquired their standing and level of responsibility by adequately representing the interests of their various constituencies. For a tourism initiative to achieve any milestones within the short, mid and long term outlook for the region it must have a solid political footing to begin with. Areas that are experiencing resistance from residents and leaders to tourism growth will predictably under-perform towards the economic development goals derived from increased visitation to their area. It is therefore the recommendation of this plan to select an area of focus that demonstrates a track record for embracing the value of tourism to economic growth, or in the least a desire to legitimately pursue tourism development. Existing “Anchor Tenants” Much like any major commercial development, a regional tourism initiative will be most successful by building upon the notoriety and market exposure that can come from anchor tenants. In the case of eastern Kentucky, adventure tourism’s anchor tenants include those facilities and attractions that are currently well established, or those that provide an opportunity for substantial market responsiveness as a result of their quality, uniqueness or niche. There are several existing facilities and attractions that serve this purpose on the defined focus area for this study:

• Knott County ATV and Adventure Park – Knott County • Black Mountain Recreation Park – Harlan County • Red River Gorge – Powell County • River Gorge / Natural Bridge Trail – Powell, Menifee, Bath and Rowan Counties • Cave Run Lake – Rowan / Bath County • Natural Bridge State Resort Park – Powell County • Jenny Wiley State Resort Park – Floyd County • Jenny Wiley Heritage Trail – Floyd, Johnson, Martin Counties (within pilot study area) • Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park – Perry County • Buckhorn Loop Trail – Perry and Knott Counties • Pine Mountain Trail – Pike, Letcher, Harlan and Bell Counties • Russell Fork River – Pike County • Kingdom Come State Park – Harlan County • Kingdom Come State Park Nature Preserve, Letcher County • Carr Creek State Park – Knott County • Paintsville Lake State Park – Johnson County • Pine Mountain State Resort Park – Bell County • Cumberland Gap National Historic Park – Bell County

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• Breaks Interstate Park – Pike County • Sheltowee Trace Trail – Daniel Boone National Forest • Natural Bridge State Park Nature Preserve – Powell County • Pilot Knob State Nature Preserve – Powell County • John B. Stephenson Memorial Forest State Nature Preserve - Rockcastle County • Bad Branch SNP – Letcher County • Hi-Lewis Pine Barrens* - Letcher County • Blanton Forest SNP – Harlan County • Pine Mountain Trail State Park Nature Preserve – Harlan County • Stone Mountain Wildlife Management Area/State Natural Area (WMA/SNA) – Harlan County • Martin's Fork Wildlife Management Area/State Natural Area – Harlan County • James E. Bickford SNP (at Pine Mtn. Settlement School) – Harlan County • Pine Mtn. State Park Nature Preserve – Bell County

Mountain Trail Development Coalition By far one of the more progressive tourism initiatives within eastern Kentucky is the Mountain Trail Development Coalition. This 501(c)3, non-profit organization has been created to develop and manage a system of integrated, multi-use trails for ATV and off-road vehicles, equestrian, mountain bike, and hiking access that traverses through 12 counties of the region. The counties in Figure 7 are included within the scope of the sKYward Trail Project. This plan would be remiss to not include this region within the adventure tourism master plan for eastern Kentucky. Facilitate Multi-jurisdictional Coordination The most redundant feedback received regarding constraints to regional tourism development through the leadership interviews and focus groups was frustration fthe lack of multi-jurisdictional coordination among countiarea development districts, and private enterprise for this purpose.

rom es, Figure 7 – sKYward Trail Project

Undoubtedly, the most successful regional tourism initiative will include jurisdictions strategically selected because of their desire to be a part of something larger and their development potential from concerted tourism efforts. The 18 counties selected to be the focus area of this plan were chosen based upon their ability to take advantage of these criteria and easily facilitate a coordinated regional effort.

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DEMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS The Demographic analysis provides a clear understanding of the market size, economic factors, and trends that will assist in determining the potential client base within the target market area.

METHODOLOGY The most current data used for this analysis; base data is derived from the 2000 U.S. Census, current estimates are shown as 2006, and projections for 2011 (five year projection) and 2021 (15-year projections). The demographic data was obtained from Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI), the largest research and development organization dedicated to Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and specializing in population projections and market trends; for comparison purposes data was also obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau. All data was acquired in May 2007, and reflects actual numbers as reported in the 2000 Census and demographic projections for 2006 and 2011 as estimated by ESRI, with straight line linear regression used for projected 2016 and 2021 demographics. The Eastern Kentucky boundaries for this region (the Region) comprised of 18 counties within the Pilot Study area was utilized as the demographic analysis area.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS The region is comprised of small, economically challenged communities nestled into the rugged wilderness and mountains of southeastern Kentucky and meet specific criteria defined throughout this report. The estimated 2006 population for the Region is a total of 405,634, projected 2011 population of 406,406, and projected 409,418 and 411,870 in 2016 and 2021, respectively. In the larger counties, six (6) of the eighteen (18) counties estimate a total population between 20,000 and 35,000; and only two (2) counties have populations above this segment; 42,638 in Floyd County and the largest county population of 68,929 in Pike County, In comparison, the smaller counties include ten (10) of the eighteen (18) counties in this region with an estimated population below 20,000; Breathitt, Estill, and Knott are between 15,000 and 20,000; Bath, Magoffin, Martin, Morgan, and Powell are between 10,000 and 15,000; and Menifee and Wolfe are below 10,000; Menifee with the lowest county population of 7,021. Following a decade of stagnation in which the Region grew by 0.5% from 1990 to 2000, the population has witnessed a period of minute growth in which it is estimated that the total Region population grew by 1.0% from 2000 to 2006, adding 4,132 persons, and is projected to grow at lower percentages through 2021; 0.2% and 772 persons from 2006 to 2011; 0.7% and 3,012 persons from 2011 to 2016; and 0.6% and 2,452 persons from 2016 to 2021. Gender distribution is slanted toward the female population which consists of slightly more than 50.9%; however, the male populace experienced a 1.9% growth from 2000 to 2006 as opposed to the 0.2% growth experienced in the female segment. Although there is movement among gender categories, the total population of the Region has remained relatively unchanged since 2000 (Figure 8).

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204,667

196,835

205,049

200,585

205,049

201,357

205,304

204,114

205,495

206,375

-

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

400,000

450,000

2000Census

2006Estimate

2011Projection

2016Projection

2021Projection

Overall 18 County Area, KY; Total Population, by Gender

- Male

- Female

Source: ESRI

F 8 –igure Population by gender

Figure 9 - Households

HOUSEHOLD SIZE AND INCOME CHARACTERISTICS

177,821172,708

-

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

140,000

160,000

180,000 166,977163,720156,752In 2006 there was an estimated 163,720

households in the region, an increase of 4.4% from the 2000 Census. The household size has actually decreased – from 2.50 persons per household at the time of the 2000 Census to an estimated 2.42 persons. As forecasted in the population trends, an increase in the general population normally tend to lead to a greater number of households, albeit at a relatively smaller growth percentage (Figure 9).

2000Census

2006Estimate

2011Projection

2016Projection

2021Projection

Overall 18 County Area, KY; Total Households

Source: ESRI

It is projected that by 2021, the region will have 3.0% more households than currently estimated. AGE SEGMENTATION Population categorization by major age segment demonstrates the relative youth of the Region’s service area by the four marketing groups – children/youth, early adulthood and child bearing, child rearing and peak income, and mature adults (Figure 10 on the following page). The largest of the four major age segments is comprised of the peak earners, those aged 35-54; the peak earners make up 30.3% of the 2006 estimated populace. Currently, the children/youth, defined as those aged 18 and below form the smallest combined age segment (22.1%), and are relatively

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comparable to the early adulthood and child bearing segment with (22.7%). Based on growth projections through 2021, the 55 years and above segment is projected to seize the largest percentage increase as compared to the population as a whole – 8.8% growth from 2006 to 2021, resulting in a total age segment increase of 37,942 (100,859 estimated persons in 2006; 138,801 estimated persons in 2In contrast, national estimate those aged fifty-five and above total nearlyone quarter (22.5%) of total U.S. population.

97,221

95,200

121,046

88,035

89,476

92,230

123,069

100,859

88,917

82,938

121,157

113,394

83,567

77,861

121,868

126,122

79,415

71,730

121,924

138,801

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

2000 Census 2006 Estimate 2011Projection

2016Projection

2021Projection

Overall 18 County Area, KY; Population by Major Age Segment

55+

35-54

18-34

<18

Source: ESRI

Figure 10 – Population by major age segment

021). trends

the

uring the fifteen year study period (2006 to 2021), only the baby-boomer segment is projected to

crease in size of the orange block, which represents a 5.5% increase in population share of

esenting a 0.7% decrease in population share of the

Dincrease in total size – the other segments, under-18, 18-34, and 35-54 age segments are expected toactually decline in total size. Two trends that may be observed in the breakdown of major age segmentation are:

• The inthe senior adults between 2006 and 2021

• The decrease in size of the blue block reprchildren/youth category, and the decrease in size of the maroon block, which represents a 7.6%decrease in the early adulthood and child bearing category

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Overall 18 County Area, KY; Population Trends by Grouped Segments

- 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000 100,000 120,000 140,000

<6

6-10

11-12

13-15

16-17

18-34

35-54

55+

2021 Projection

2016 Projection

2011 Projection

2006 Estimate

2000 Census

Source: ESRI

Figure 11 – Population growth trends

Viewing population growth trends by the eight major transitional segments of the lifecycle (Figure 11) allows for planning of programs and services based on like interests and desires of the user through the maturation process. It is possible to quickly view the projected aging of the Region’s service area’s constituents by viewing the gradual lengthening of the red bars of the top two lifecycle segments in Figure 11 as opposed to the stagnant growth, or slight shortening, of the red bars in the six lower/younger lifecycle segments. During the projected trend period (2006 to 2021), the lifecycle segments with the highest rates of decline are those aged 6-10 years (13.8% decrease) and 18-34 years (decrease of 7.1%); however, those between the ages of thirteen and fifteen are projected to be the only significant increase (7.8%) on populace under the age of thirty-five. INCOME CHARACTERISTICS The Region’s income categories – median, average, and per capita – are projected to continue the trend of incremental increases similar to those experienced between 2000 and 2006 (Figure 11). Currently, the average household income in the Region is $36,948; this represents the earnings of all persons age 15 years or older living together in a housing unit. The Region’s average household income for 2006 is nearly forty-one percent (40.9%) less than that of the average U.S. household income reported for

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2005 of $62,556 (Figure 12); when compared to the average household income of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the Region is 24.7% less. The median household income for the Region, the middle point when all household incomes are compared in ascending order, is currently estimated at $25,781 and per capita income estimated at $15,140 – both of which are significantly lower than those of the U.S. averages, by 31.0% and 26.3%, respectively. Although median household income has risen in the past years nationwide, total individual income has dropped; this phenomenon is due to the increase in multiple household occupants participating in the work force.

$21,377

$30,706

$12,028

$25,306

$36,388

$14,927

$29,066

$42,172

$17,569

32,458

$47,161

20,039

35,945

$52,357

22,554

$0

$10,000

$20,000

$30,000

$40,000

$50,000

2000 Census 2006 Estimate 2011 Projection 2016 Projection 2021 Projection

Overall 18 County Area, KY; Income Characteristics

Median HH Income Average HH Income Per Capita Income

Figure 12 - Income characteristics

Source: ESRI Comparing 2006 average household income county by county reveals the highest averages in Rowan County with an average of $45,761; Bath County with $43,204; and Johnson County with $42,725. The lowest average household income includes: Wolfe County with $30,645; Martin County with $31,399; and Magoffin County with $32,707. AVERAGE EDUCATION ATTAINMENT Based on the 2000 Census, the latest data available for the educational analysis, nearly 33% of the regions populace 25 and older are a high school graduate; 9.5% of all persons 25 and above have a bachelors and/or higher education degree. Rowan County by far leads the Region with an 11% attainment rate in both bachelors and higher education degrees, with a public institution, Morehead University located there. Four counties in the Region have private colleges – Bell, Breathitt, Knott and Pike counties. The Big Sandy Community & Technical College is public and services Floyd, Johnson,

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Magoffin, Pike, and other surrounding counties. Harlan and Perry counties also are part of the Community & Technical College family with Hazard Community and Technical College and Southeast Community and Technical College. Segment of workforce in:

• Manufacturing • Mining • Timber: • Petroleum / Chemical • Tourism / Hospitality • Medical • Professional • Public service / governmental • Other

Based on 2006 estimates, the largest segment of the Region’s workforce is employed in the Services industry (40%), while Retail employs 14%, and Agricultural/Mining and Manufacturing segments both employ 10% of the workforce. The Region’s employment segmented by occupation indicates 48% of the population is white collar and 36% blue collar. ETHNICITY Ethnic minority groups in the United States are strongly regionalized and urbanized, with the exception of Native Americans, and these trends are projected to continue. As with many consumer goods, different ethnic groups have different needs when it comes to recreational activities. Ethnic minority groups are coming in ever-greater contact with white middle-class baby-boomers with different recreational habits and preferences. This can be a sensitive subject since many baby-boomers are the last demographic to have graduated high school in segregated environments. However, this trend is projected to increase as more baby-boomers begin to retire and the minority populations continue to increase.

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MARKET ASSESSMENT The market assessment includes the definition of the core program market supported by key activities and programs, the size of the core program market, and market positioning. The outcome of this task will be used to establish a concept development plan including operational and economic outcomes and partnership/management alternatives. Eastern Kentucky has both existing and potential options beyond the core list featured above for visiting tourists. The popular existing options include, but are not limited to numerous historical and cultural attractions, events and festivals; limited golf courses of varying levels of upkeep and quality; numerous fishing and hunting opportunities with the proper permits; wildlife viewing; and a select list of recommended driving tours. The relative remoteness of the region does not lend to spontaneous visitation patterns or visitors that may only participate in activities during an evening after work. The vast majority of out-of-county visitors will regard the amenities of eastern Kentucky more as a destination in their travels, at least for the weekend if not for longer periods of time. For this reason, it is critical that the region offer amenities, attractions and activities that can appeal to visitors who may be looking for more tourism options.

CORE PROGRAM MARKET As indicated throughout the previous sections of this report, there are traditional adventure recreation and tourism activities and markets that eastern Kentucky is uniquely equipped to develop further. Therefore, the recommended core program markets include:

• Paddle sports such as flat-water and whitewater kayaking, canoeing and rafting • Rock climbing and rappelling • Multiple trail sports including mountain biking, ATV and off-road vehicles, horseback riding, and

hiking • Lake sports • Wildlife viewing

Additional details on each of these core program markets follow. PADDLE SPORTS Paddle sports have been among the fastest growing types of recreation in the United States for the last decade (Outdoor Industry Foundation, Outdoor Recreation Participation Study, Eighth Edition, for 2005, June 2006). These activities include flat-water canoeing and kayaking, and whitewater kayaking, canoeing and rafting. The following demographics and characteristics of Americans participating in paddle sports were identified in the Outdoor Industry Foundation report referenced above:

• There are approximately 12.6 million paddle sport participants, not including those who annually or occasionally participate in guided whitewater rafting, who went on approximately 86 million outings for paddling in 2005.

• Non-whitewater paddling is more popular than whitewater among enthusiasts, who also demonstrate cross-over preferences to other sports that include mountain biking, fishing (non-fly) and trail running.

• Paddling enthusiasts went on an average of six paddling outings in 2005.

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• Paddling participation is so demographically balanced on the dimensions of gender, age, marital status, children in household, and region to suggest that these activities have wide appeal across the greater US population.

• Paddling enthusiasts feature a larger proportion of participants (44%) with an average annual household income greater than $80,000 than all trail sports and rock climbing participation researched in this study

The most noteworthy venues for tourists seeking paddle sport outings include the Russell Fork River and the numerous lakes throughout the region. The Russell Fork only features four weekend releases annually that floods the streambed sufficiently to create class IV and class V whitewater. There are interested members of the community who are avid whitewater paddlers and are interested to pursue grants and other funding opportunities in order to design and construct an in-channel wave feature with considerably easier access that would appeal to more paddlers while easing the access burden typically required when paddling the Russell Fork. Additional popular paddling venues include the Red River, Elkhorn Creek, Big South Fork of the Cumberland, North Fork of the Cumberland, and Poor Fork of the Cumberland. ROCK CLIMBING AND RAPPELLING The Outdoor Industry Foundation’s 2005 Outdoor Recreation Participation Study reported 9.2 million individuals participating routinely in rock climbing and climbing related sports. The following additional demographic characteristics were also identified:

• In 2005, 9.2 million participants went on 51 million outings, an average of six outings annually per participant.

• The mean age of climbing participants is 27 years, with a gender breakdown at 73% male and 27% female.

• Sixty-two percent (62%) of climbers in 2005 were reported to be unmarried, and 71% were Caucasian.

• The majority of climbers participating in outings in 2005 had annual household incomes over $40,000. Forty-six percent (46%) reported annual household incomes between $40,000 and $79,000, while 28% reported household incomes over $80,000.

Eastern Kentucky contains a climbing area widely acclaimed as within the top five climbing areas in the United States, and within the top ten around the world. The Red River Gorge is proclaimed to be an area that has superb all-around climbing opportunities for enthusiasts ranging from beginner to professional in skill, reliable access, comfortable climate and beautiful surrounding wilderness. Another climbing area identified with reliable access in the region is Bad Branch Falls State Natural Area, which does not currently feature any improved amenities to appeal to climbing visitors. TRAIL SPORTS Trail sports for this plan are considered as a broad category that captures activities and venues with current massive appeal throughout the region, the state, and the country. Activities within this category include mountain biking, ATV and off-road vehicles, horseback riding, backpacking, trail running and hiking.

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The Outdoor Industry Foundation’s 2005 Outdoor Recreation Participation Study reported following demographics of participation among the activities in 2005 as shown in Figure 13.

Activity Number of

Participants Average Number

of Outings Average Age

Household Income Data

Mountain biking 50 million 19 25 < $40K: 34%

$40-79K: 40%

$80K+: 27%

ATV / motorized off-road vehicles

42.4 million 28 34 < $40K: 28%

$40-79K: 49%

$80K+: 23%

Backpacking 13.5 million 6 31 < $40K: 31%

$40-79K: 47%

$80K+: 31%

Trail running 40.4 million 33 29 < $40K: 33%

$40-79K: 36%

$80K+: 31%

Hiking 76.7 million 11 38 < $40K: 30%

$40-79K: 40%

$80K+: 29%

Figure 13 - Trail sports demographics Equestrian trail riding and horse-related sports also boast a tremendous impact to both the national and local economies. As reported by the American Horse Council, 42% of the approximate 9.2 million horses in the United States are owned and used for recreational trail riding purposes. Over 2 million people are horse owners contributing to nearly 4.6 million people who are involved in the industry either as owners, breeders, trainers, service providers, or otherwise. In total, the horse industry in the United States has a direct economic impact of $39 billion annually. This contributes to a total economic impact of $102 billion annually when the multiplier effect of spending by suppliers and employees of horse-related services is taken into account.

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Trail sports that include the activities above are extremely popular among Americans when compared to other categories of adventure recreation. This is largely a result of the surge in trail projects around the country over the last 30 years that has resulted in reliable access to improved and maintained trail venues. The following additional characteristics can be observed among trail sport enthusiasts:

• Backpackers and trail runners on average feature a larger proportion of participants that earn an average annual household income over $80,000 than all other trail sports researched, or rock climbing enthusiasts.

• Backpackers and ATV enthusiasts on average feature a larger proportion of participants that earn an average annual household income of $40-79K than all other trail sports researched, rock climbers, or paddlers.

• The activities with the highest average age of participants are hiking (38 years) and ATV / motorized off-road vehicles (34 years).

• Backpackers and trail runners feature the greatest proportion of participants (both report 56%) among the trail sports researched that have children under 18 years of age. Forty-eight percent (48%) of hiking participants, 53% of ATV / motorized off-road vehicle enthusiasts, and 55% of mountain bikers report having children under 18. These statistics indicate great potential in promoting family vacations featuring trail sport opportunities.

• Approximately 34% of horse owners and equestrian enthusiasts have an average household income of less than $50,000; 46% have an average household income of between $25,000 and $75,000; and 28% boast an average household income of $100,000 or greater.

Eastern Kentucky abounds with existing trail venues and multiple trail projects under development. The natural terrain, soil composition and climate are very conducive to world-class trail sport opportunities if properly developed, regulated and managed. Among the more popular existing trails include the following for the associated activities:

Hiking Pine Mountain Trail Sheltowee Trace River Gorge/Natural Bridge Trail Jenny Wiley Heritage Trail Buckhorn Loop Trail White Rocks – East Ridge Trail Gray’s Arch Trail Mountain Biking Pine Mountain Trail Sheltowee Trace Trail Caney Creek Cave Run Trail Red Bird Crest Trail Cumberland Bike Trails Stanton Trails

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ATV/OHV Black Mountain Recreation Park Knott County Adventure Park White Sulphur ATV Trails Red Bird Crest Trail Equestrian Pine Mountain Trail Sheltowee Trace Trail White Rocks – East Ridge Trail Cumberland Horse Trails Stanton Horse Trails Knott County Adventure Park

LAKE SPORTS Lake sports encompass several recreation activities that are among the highest both in participation, as well as participant spending of any tracked recreation activity in the United States: swimming, fishing, waterskiing and related sports, and recreational boating. It is recommended that substantial marketing efforts be directed at lake sport enthusiast clubs and groups, retailers, and related service providers in the designated target market areas in order to bring greater exposure to the eastern Kentucky parks that feature great lake experiences. Recreational boating in the United States has steadily increased over the past few decades. It is reported that nearly one-third of American households have at least one individual that participates in recreational boating activities regularly. The increase in boating participation is also noted as increases in boat ownership, boat rentals, and purchase of boat accessories. According to the American Recreation Coalition report of 1999, an estimated 78 million Americans participate in recreational boating, using 17 million boats. An approximate $22,987,128,000 was spent in 1999 on new and used boats, motors and engines, accessories, and associated costs. The average age of recreational boaters is reported to be approximately 34 years, with an average annual household income of greater than $40,000. Additionally, the lakes of eastern Kentucky provide a range of experiences to visitors that include swimming, fishing, water skiing, wakeboarding, jet skiing and sailing. All in all, these activities are hugely popular amongst Americans and have a substantial market base in most major American urban centers. The region can benefit dramatically from a concerted positioning effort that focuses on the robust eastern Kentucky experience including lodging, dining, cultural and arts attractions, and alternative adventure tourism amenities. WILDLIFE VIEWING Wildlife viewing remains one of the most stable activities regarding participation rates from year to year, and also is one of the outdoor activities that maintains a predominantly older participant profile.

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Participants in wildlife viewing activities are predominantly members of the generation referred to in the Outdoor Industry Foundation’s Participation Study of 2005 as “Boomers”, consisiting of persons born between 1946 and 1960. These wildlife recreationalists generally demonstrate a larger degree of disposable time and income, taking a larger number of outings per year (nine to twelve) and featuring an average annual household income of greater than $55,000. Eastern Kentucky’s rich landscape and expansive wildlife corridors as a result of limited development concentrated to select regions lends to excellent wildlife viewing opportunities. Additionally, regional leaders have worked closely with wildlife management professionals in recent years to manage a successful elk relocation program to multiple counties within the study area.

MARKET TRENDS According to an American Express Travel agent survey conducted in May of 2006 of 279 American Express Travel agents across the U.S., family vacations are expanding beyond the traditional getaways to include newer, broader, more active, and meaningful travel plans. Agents reported that top motivators for family travel include the desire to introduce children to different cultures, customs and lifestyles, to experience new things together, and create lasting memories. Results from the American Express Travel poll of their agents found that family travel now means more than the typical nuclear family trip of the past:

• Eighty-one percent (81%) of agents booked family vacations consisting of multi-generational trips that include grandparents

• Additionally, more than two-thirds (69%) of agents reported grandparents traveling exclusively with their grandchildren – independent of Mom and Dad

• Other trends spotted by agents included adult children traveling with their parents (69%) • Family and family friends traveling together as one large group (67%) • Extended family members including aunts, uncles and cousins taking trips as a collective group

(28%) • Families are increasingly drawn to active and experience-driven travel plans; agents booked more

outdoor, adventure family vacations than the previous year (62%)

The Travel Industry Association (TIA) and American Express released results of a landmark report – The Ideal American Vacation Trip – based on a representative sample of 2,500 vacation travelers conducted online in 2006 and highlights unique travel behaviors by market segments (Source: SmithTravelResearch.com). It is widely accepted that the travel industry has a unique opportunity to grow the market and enhance the vacation experience for all persons of all socio-demographic characteristics. Dr. Suzanne Cook, Senior Vice President of Research for the Travel Industry Association, stated, “In a day and age of relatively modest growth in travel, targeting specific groups of vacation travelers is more important than ever.” Vacation trends according to The Ideal American Vacation Trip are:

• Approximately 124 million Americans took a vacation between 2005 and 2006, amounting to 55% of the adult population

• The typical traveler took 3 trips per year • Michael Kinsman, author of All Work and No Play for the California Job Journal reports that long

weekends made up 59% of vacations taken in 2004

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• On average, the typical household spends $1,500 on a vacation trip and travels 1,200 miles from home; it is reasonable to assume that a portion of the high mileage associated with the average vacation trip can be attributed to the popular destinations found in coastal states and island vacations

• According to the American Express Travel survey, many of the long-standing, family-friendly U.S. destinations continue to hold strong for families, with the top five domestic destinations being:

o Orlando o New York City o Miami o Las Vegas o Hawaii

• Traveling by car continues to be the top form of transportation for a vacation trip; however, at least one trip per year is by plane

• Generally, vacation travelers take at least two vacation trips that include hotel stays, but the most common accommodations are friends’ or relatives’ homes (24%) and moderately priced hotels or motels (19%)

• The most popular trip destinations are: o Cities and urban areas (39%) o Small towns and rural areas (26%) o Ocean beaches (23%)

• The most popular activities are sightseeing (51%) and shopping (51%) • The Ideal American Vacation Trip report found that overall, rest and relaxation, and spending time

with significant others are the most important attributes of an ideal vacation trip • The study also found that ideal vacation destinations for American vacation travelers are those that

offer an easy travel experience, a sense of fun and adventure and local flavor • Not surprisingly, money is by far the largest barrier to achieving an ideal vacation, but family and

work responsibilities also weigh heavily on vacationers’ trip satisfaction

Findings from two studies sponsored by the Adventure Travel Trade Association and conducted by Michigan State University’s Travel, Tourism and Recreation Resource Center reveal a very optimistic future for growth in the adventure travel industry over the next five years. The ATTA-sponsored research was conducted by Michigan State University in the first half of 2005 and studied trends in the adventure travel industry among both consumers and the trade. With academic methodology, MSU randomly collected survey information from a representative sample of exhibitors and consumers at adventure travel trade shows within the U.S. (an executive summary may be found at http://www.adventuretravel.biz/research_msu_atn_0605.asp). According to the research, approximately 92% of adventure travelers surveyed report that over the next five years they plan to embark on the same number, or more, adventure vacations as they had taken in previous years. Considering that 56 percent of travelers surveyed take two to three vacations per year, the growth of the adventure travel industry looks healthy. Some of the research findings include:

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• A majority of respondents (68.6%) indicated they are planning an adventure travel vacation in the future

• In the next five years, participants indicated they see themselves taking the ‘same’ number, or ‘more’ adventure travel vacations (91.6%), with a relatively low number (8.4%) indicating they see themselves taking adventure travel vacations ‘less often’. These results suggest the outlook for adventure travel in the next five years to be positive

• The average number of vacations respondents took per year was between 1 and 3 (66.6%), of which, 94.0% were adventure vacations. Worth noting, over a quarter of respondents (27.5%) indicated taking between four and six vacations per year, although just 4.2% of those were adventure vacations

• Those activities considered ‘soft adventure activities', such as walking, hiking, and bicycling, were most popular among respondents (75%)

• Activities that those planning to take an adventure travel vacation are most interested in are hiking (35%), water-related activities such as scuba diving, snorkeling, and surfing (17%), kayaking/rafting (11%), climbing/mountaineering (11%), cultural activities (8%), and biking (5.3%). (percentages do not equal 100 due limited presentation of data for this story)

• Another noteworthy finding of the studies shows a shift in the consumer's definition of adventure travel itself, partly because their perceptions about what is encompassed within adventure travel have broadened

Separation Anxiety A study released in 2005 by the Families and Work Institute found that American workers have on average 16.6 paid vacation days but that more than one-third of employees (36%) did not plan to use their full vacation. The survey of 1,003 adults who were employed full or part time by someone else was collected by Harris Interactive; the survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percent. Stephanie Rosenbloom wrote that Americans are experiencing “an electronic requiem for the American vacation.”, and that even once workers get over their angst about what length vacation to take, many grapple with separation anxiety — how often to check in with the office. According to the Families and Work Institute study, about one in five people do some amount of work during vacation. Although vacation, defined as leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure, is meant to recharge and recuperate from the grueling work schedule that many Americans lead, today’s vacationers are finding it harder and harder to actually escape the office. Whether it is of fear of losing one’s position or standing within a firm, a narcissistic ideal, or other variables associated with a hectic work schedule, the ability for a person to check electronic mail and voice messages is becoming ever more important. America’s Past-Time Traditional sports, referred to as the social glue that bonds the country, have played an important role in American society. By teaching important values of teamwork and discipline while stressing physical fitness and a healthy lifestyle, sports have been the building block for many of Americans. However, many of the sports that have seen the American society through a century of growth have now begun to give way to more non-traditional means of recreation.

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Studies done by the American Psychology Association's department of Exercise and Sports Psychology have found that in recent years, children are shunning the traditional style “bat and ball” sports founded on team work, and in which many parents actively participate in and coach, and turning to extreme sports like skateboarding, BMX and mountain biking, and many water sports for the less structured and individual focused environment. However, despite the relative recent boom of extreme sports, traditional sports have become an institution nationwide, a rite of passage for the young that is passed down from generation to generation. Extreme/Adventure/Non-Traditional Sports Extreme sports blast onto the scene in 1995 with the first airing of the Extreme Games, now simply known as the X Games, by ESPN. The national broadcast of the summer and winter X Games have introduced these extreme sports – including freestyle BMX, freestyle motorcross, surfing, skiing, snowboarding, and, of course, skateboarding – to the general public, instantly creating new markets. According to ESPN, the X Games remain the most watched sports show among males aged 12 to 34. Extreme sports have had the ability to maintain a user base well beyond the ages of most traditional sports, a trend made evident by the popularity of the nearly 40-year old X Game star Tony Hawk of skateboarding and BMX fame. The outdoor extreme sports – mountain biking, climbing, trail running, canoeing, kayaking, and rafting – all have a more mature audience. As with most sports, the level of participatory risk determines the extreme element; canoeing and kayaking are two of the least extreme of the outdoor extreme sports due to the lack of favorable waterways needed for the element of risk. Artificial wall climbing, inspired by mountain/rock climbing, but geared more towards the non-extremist, is the only extreme “outdoor” sport with an average age of participant below twenty (artificial wall climbing’s average age is 17.7). Outdoor extreme sports do have some of the best growth rates among recreational and sporting activities – four of the seven activities listed have experienced five year growth rates of better seventeen percent; the same four sports have experienced growth over a seven year period as well. Due to most of the outdoor sports requiring specialized equipment and non-urban settings to participate, most have lower average participation days than other extreme sports. Only trail running (average 33.2 participation days per year), mountain biking (average 17.5 participation days per year), and kayaking (average 12.8 participation days per year) have averages of more than ten days per year of participation. In terms of years of participation, artificial wall climbing once again differs vastly from the other outdoor sports (2.8 average number of participation years; 3.0% have participated 10 or more years) – this could be explained by the trend of the last few years of placing climbing walls into municipal recreation centers, college campuses, and malls. Canoeing has the highest average number of years of participation and the highest percent of participants with ten or more years of participation (9.8 average number of participation years; 37.1% have participated 10 or more years). BMX biking has had the ability to transition from a predominantly youth activity to an activity that now boasts an average age of participant of nearly twenty-six years, with an astounding 36% of participants 25 or older. However, BMX has experienced a decrease of one and a half million participants from 2003 to 2005. Thirty-seven percent of participants took part in BMX activities at

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least twenty-five times in the last twelve months, with the average number of days of participation of fifty-two (52.0). The average number of years for soccer participation is eight (7.9), with twenty-one percent (20.9%) of all participants having participated for more then ten years. Paintball is one of the few extreme sports that has seen sizeable leaps in participation since participation has been tracked. One factor that enabled the industry to grow is the increasing number of paintball courses in metropolitan areas that allows the user to participate in multiple courses with each featuring a different set-up or scenario. The considerable entry cost to the sport has also been abated with the availability of equipment rentals. Since the first year participation figures were kept, participation has nearly doubled (1998 – 5.9 million participants; 2005 – 10.3 millions participants). The average age of a participant is 22.5 years. Paintball is not frequent participation sport – the majority of participants (62.7%) took part in paintball less than seven days in the last twelve months; participation averaged 9.3 days in the last year. Paintball is a relatively young sport – 81.3% of all participants have participated five years or less, with the average being 3.5 years. Outdoor Activity Trends Technology has promised to simplify the American way of life and promised abundant leisure for years. Unfortunately, for most people, this promise of simplicity and leisure has turned out to be a myth. With sixty percent of women now in the work force, an unheard of sum two decades ago, and many individuals working multiple jobs, it is apparent that the society as a whole has either opted for greater financial security, or found the workload a necessity, over leisure time. The implications that this epidemic has for public recreation are vast – the public has shifted their attention away from traditional team sports and have begun to increasingly want their recreation, entertainment, and leisure near at hand in order to take advantage of the small blocks of time which are available, much of which takes place after the work day and on weekends and holidays. Recent studies conducted by the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation indicate that Americans prefer relatively simple outdoor recreation opportunities. The well-balanced recreation system provides opportunities for both indoor and outdoor activities of both an active and a passive nature. Previous surveys conducted by and reported in the Roper Report demonstrate widespread public recognition of the positive contributions to quality of life resulting from participation in outdoor recreation. The general population links recreation to overall happiness, family unity, health, improved educational opportunities, and deterrence of crime and substance abuse. The latest trend of declining participation, which began in 2001, in many recreational activities and the frequency of participation clearly put the benefits arising from recreation participation, both perceived and actual, at risk. As the continuing growth in ownership and use of electronic communications and leisure options by the typical American – a trend that today is clearly visible to all by just taking a stroll down the local market, retail corridor, or airport – those in the recreation industry must address this technological phenomenon and form a strategy to effectively integrate into activities desired. The ability to convert traditionalist type activities into a technologically intertwined pastime may be the catalyst for increased participation in the near future.

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Retirees Participation in Outdoor Activities Retirees sixty-five and older remain active in many activities well into their senior years. Just under thirty-five million Americans, or about one of every eight persons (12.4%), were sixty-five years or older at the time of the 2000 Census. Over ninety percent of these older Americans are retired; almost all are retired by age seventy-five. For purposes of this study, retirees were broken into three age groups, sixty-five to seventy-four, seventy-five to eighty-four, and eighty-five and above; data was gathered from the National Survey on Recreation and the Environment (NSRE). Across all the activities surveyed, with the only exception being gardening or landscaping for pleasure, the percentage of retirees who participate in an activity is less than that for those people under age sixty-five. With a few exceptions among activities, participation percentage falls from age sixty-five to age eighty-five and above. For the more passive activities, such as walking, family gatherings outdoors, sightseeing and viewing/photographing wildlife and flowers, the decrease with age is gradual. With the more physically demanding activities, such as swimming, hiking and mountain biking, the decrease in percentage participating sharply increases with age; however, some percentage of even the oldest of retirees participate across most activities, regardless of how physically demanding they are. Although age does play a role in the ability to participate in all activities, eleven of activities surveyed by NSRE illustrate the enduring quality regardless of age, such as:

• Walking for pleasure • Family gatherings • Gardening and landscaping for pleasure • View/photograph natural scenery • Visit nature centers, etc. • Driving for pleasure • Picnicking • Sightseeing • Visit historic sites • View/photograph other wildlife • View/photograph wildflowers, trees, etc.

As the retiree population grows in future years, accessible opportunities for these popular activities should be accommodated.

TARGET MARKET Within the broad classifications of activity, PROS identified sub-classifications and has determined primary and secondary markets, as appropriate, for each. The recommended market segmentation follows several important themes established throughout this report and outlined below:

• It will be essential to draw participants and customers from the local community (year-round and seasonal residents), the known tourism base, and those who reside within a three (3) hour drive-time (Breathitt County - geographic epicenter).

• It will be important to concentrate on self-guided, diversified, extended-stay visitation patterns from targeted market segments.

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• Partnerships and collaborations within the region among private and public operators will motivate visitation of multiple events and facilities, and local business leadership should be encouraged to continue alliances that promote both efficiencies and group sales.

• Harmonious and productive relationships with Discover Today’s ATVs, the communications service bureau of the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America (SVIA), and International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) is essential to maintaining appropriate safety and maintenance standards for multi-use trails and usage regulations.

• To facilitate and consolidate the marketing efforts stated herein, the Department of Tourism or its designee should be responsible to manage all coordinated marketing. It is critical to employ a first-rate marketing firm or staff to properly hone and consistently deliver the intended messages about eastern Kentucky adventure tourism to the designated market segments.

• It is essential to develop base-line data and reference materials on the current trends and expenditures within the designated counties from out-of-county visitors.

The potential growth in economic activity in the region due to a successful regional tourism initiative is strong. This is supported through the region’s ability to attract and expose new participants to these sports that might have some reluctance to experience, by providing a diverse environment that appeal to a broader segment of both the current and prospective markets. For the pursuit of adventure recreation and tourism visitors both a local and target market exists.

• The local market is classified as those that are full-time and seasonal residents of the 18-county pilot study area, segmented by age, and near-local non-residents who are within a one (1) hour drive-time.

• The target market is made up of those that reside in the known annual visitor base that is accessible through information gathered by the county tourism commissions and area development districts in the region, and those within a specified market area based on published adventure travel and vacation trends. While it is clear that the potential for recreational use encompasses a large portion of the continental United States, the targeted efforts in the initial stages of development should go toward those who are readily identifiable as either residents or tourists within the region.

Projecting a participation base for the eastern Kentucky adventure tourism is not an exact science. Analyzing recent vacation travel trends and the available markets located within a reasonable drive-time, a foundation for participation was formulated. Based on American vacation trends, an eight (8) hour drive-time market (Figure 14 on the following page) for the eastern Kentucky adventure tourism study area was defined and analyzed. The drive time analysis was performed using ESRI’s Network Analyst 9.2, an extension to ESRI’s ArcMap 9.2, in combination with data from ESRI’s Street Map USA. The road network for the drive time analysis was established on a national basis utilizing the major road segmentation of Street Map USA, representing interstates, USDOT highways, and state

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Department highways applied to the eastern Kentucky region with network locations plus or minus 5,000 meters from the major highways.

From the network location, or starting point, Network Analyst traverses every road traveling at an assumed speed limit depending on road classification – State Highways and US Highways are classified by ESRI as 15-65 miles-per-hour (mph) and interstate freeways are classified as 50-65 mph. Attempts to include stop signs/lights, turn modeling, slow road segments, and traffic congestion were made but are not inclusive. Drive times were established for one-hour individual intervals culminating with an eight-hour ring. Each hour was established as its own disc or ring for incorporation of demographic data.

Figure 14 - Drive time analysis

Based on national participation trends reported by the American Sports Data, Inc. and the Nationwide Survey on Recreation and the Environment, estimated participation was derived by activity. It is assumed that 86% of the estimated participation base resides within a 3 hour drive time of the study area. An average crossover ratio of twenty-five percent (was derived from the Outdoor industry Foundatio2006 Outdoor Participation Study. The crossover ratio is not an expectation of percentage of persons participating in multiple activities, but a ratio to minimize the total number of people in the target

market which are double counted in total participation. The Hatfield McCoy Trail study performed by Marshall University was utilized to derive percentage estimates of new participants (50.38%), repeat visitor coefficient (3.6), average persons per party (2.7), and average length of stay per party (3.69). It is assumed that as the adventure tourism industry in eastern Kentucky matures, the percentage of new participants to the area will gradually decline; however, it is not assumed that new participants will ever account for less than fifteen to twenty percent of total visitation. Applying the visitation factors to the target market yields an estimated 132,651 total annual party visitations to the region.

25.0%) n’s

Major metropolitan statistical areas, recently reclassified as core based statistical areas, located within the eight-hour drive-time market were also analyzed for participatory data in selected adventure tourism or extreme sports activities. MSAs were targeted for their dense populations and relative concise marketing boundaries as opposed to the entire eight-hour drive-time. Select MSAs analyzed within the drive time market established include:

• Atlanta • Cincinnati/Hamilton • Chicago/Gary/Lake County • Cleveland/Akron • Columbus

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• Detroit/Ann Arbor/Flint • Indianapolis • Norfolk/Virginia Beach/Newport News • Milwaukee/Racine • St. Louis • Washington/Baltimore

Participation trends for select metropolitan areas (MSA) that are located within the drive-time market were analyzed using the American Sports Data, Inc. 2006 Geographical Supplement report. MSA trends are presented to depict the total estimated market and the popularity of various activities and in no way should be misinterpreted as the total number of visitors that the Adventure Terrain should expect, but a foundation by which potential users may be drawn from. The American Sports Data, Inc (ASD) Superstudy of Sports Participation was utilized to estimate participatory data in extreme, non-traditional sports and activities. ASD has been an unequaled leader in sports and fitness participation trends for over two decades; the Superstudy is based on a national consumer mail survey of 30,000 adults and children ages six and above. In order to ensure a statistically valid survey, three databases were amassed in a single tabulation. The participation factors are based on surveys conducted in January 2005, 2006, and 2007, for the previous calendar years, and reflect the average participation behavior of nearly forty-five thousand individuals over the age of six who reside in the 48 continental states. Estimated number of participants by activity was derived by multiplying the Participants per 100 People (% Participating) column in Figure 15 (following page) by each of the respective year’s population of the MSA. For comparison purposes, a percentage of each of the MSA participants to total estimated U.S. participation was calculated in the fourth column – % MSA Participation to Total U.S. – and a ranking of the three most participated in activities is highlighted in blue in the adjacent column. The percentage of participants to the U.S. total should not be misunderstood as the activity with the most participation, but as a gauge as to how popular the respective activity is in the MSA as compared to the total U.S. For instance, Trail Running has the highest percentage of MSA participants to the U.S. as a whole – 19.0% of all U.S. participants in Trail Running are located in the eight-hour drive-time analysis MSAs – but Trail Running ranked as only the sixth highest in total participation numbers. Using the 2005 Superstudy of Sports Participation and the 2006 Geographical Supplement, the following participation trends for each of the MSAs located within the drive-time market were identified:

• Outdoor Recreation and Adventure • Day Hiking • Mountain biking • Mountain/Rock Climbing • Trail Running • Water Sports and Activities • Canoeing

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• Kayaking • Rafting • Jet Skiing • Wakeboarding • Water Skiing • Fly Fishing • Fresh Water Fishing (Other) • Recreational Swimming

The most popular of activities amongst the MSAs are Trail Running (19.0% of all persons whom participate in Trail Running reside within the MSAs), Canoeing (17.8%), and Mountain/Rock Climbing (16.8%). The activities with the greatest participatory base (total persons that participated at least once in the last twelve months) are recreational swimming (15M participants located within the selected MSAs), freshwater fishing, other than fly fishing (5.7M participants), and day hiking (5.7M participants). Each of the sports have few barriers to entry; recreational swimming is an activity that dates back decades as a summer-time favorite and requires only proper swimming attire and at times a nominal fee. Fishing is an activity that can cover the entire cost spectrum, from the relatively small cost of a cane pole and bait to the multi-hundred dollar rod and reel combinations and customized lures. Participation barriers for day hiking enthusiasts are mostly limited to one’s location to complimentary terrain; for the more involved hikers, footwear and other gear increase the cost of participation.

Adventure/Non-Traditional Sports and Activities

Total U.S.Participation

(000's)

TotalMSA

Participation(000's)

AverageParticipants

per 100People

(% Participating)

% Total MSA

Part. toTotal U.S.

MSA MarketActivity

PopularityTo Total

Participation

Est. 2006Participatory

Market

Rank of Activity by

Most Participated;

2006

Est. 2011Participatory

Market

Rank of Activity by

Most Participated;

2011

Est. 2016Participatory

Market

Rank of Activity by

Most Participated;

2016 Outdoor RecreationHiking, Day 38,175 5,509 14.6% 14.4% 7 5,716,042 3 6,051,540 3 6,416,603 2 Outdoor AdventureMountain Biking 5,665 810 1.7% 14.3% 8 807,152 9 856,567 9 910,482 9 Mountain/Rock Climbing 2,238 375 0.8% 16.8% 3 383,821 12 405,897 12 429,832 12 Trail Running 6,188 1,174 3.0% 19.0% 1 1,180,808 6 1,253,641 6 1,332,932 6 Water Sports, Equipment BasedCanoeing 11,926 2,127 6.9% 17.8% 2 2,262,202 4 2,377,105 4 2,500,470 4 Kayaking 7,162 858 2.2% 12.0% 11 855,988 8 900,752 8 949,011 8 Rafting 4,458 614 1.6% 13.8% 9 620,236 11 657,341 11 697,518 11 Jet Skiing 8,843 1,291 3.6% 14.6% 6 1,264,595 5 1,335,440 5 1,413,143 5 Wakeboarding 3,332 248 0.7% 7.4% 13 263,355 13 278,135 13 294,157 13 Water Skiing 7,022 1,134 3.0% 16.1% 4 1,164,437 7 1,228,430 7 1,298,049 7 Water Sports, OtherFishing, Fly 5,711 650 1.7% 11.4% 12 659,371 10 690,223 10 723,210 10 Fishing, Freshwater/Other 40,334 5,334 15.3% 13.2% 10 5,741,267 2 6,064,913 2 6,415,232 3 Swimming, Recreatinal 93,628 14,539 37.5% 15.5% 5 15,004,025 1 15,881,043 1 16,833,353 1

Total 8-Hour Drive-Time Market MSA Service Area Population

Figure 15 - Target market by drive time

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SERVICE PROVIDERS ASSESSMENT PROS performed an assessment of service providers and clubs within the adventure tourism market. The assessment included documentation of service offerings and operational characteristics. Following is a summary list of the other service providers by market area. Details for each are included in Appendix C. A summary of the Region’s service providers (Figure 16 on page 51) presents a clear snapshot of areas of opportunity, particularly in regards to developing an all encompassing regional adventure tourism plan. The gray areas represent information gathered from the internet, primarily from The Kentucky Department of Tourism (www.kentuckytourism.com), Tour Southern and Eastern Kentucky (www.tourseky.com), and individual county Chamber of Commerce or tourism websites, if available. In addition, information was cross-referenced and updated with the Kentucky 2007 Official Visitor’s Guide and Travel Guide, and other publicly accessible websites. The white columns represent the registered food and drinking establishments in 2006 based on data provided by ESRI and InfoUSA. For comparative purposes, the following analysis is based on the data obtained from PROS extensive internet research of each individual county and cities or communities associated with them. Dining segment (including fine dining, casual, and fast/quick food establishments) research indicates the following:

• Ten (10) counties have 21 or more establishments • Six (6) counties have between 11 and 20 establishments • Two (2) counties have between 6 and 10 establishments • The greatest proportion of eateries belonging to the fast/quick food segment

Lodging and accommodations (hotels/motels) include: • Three (3) counties have 11 to 15 lodging services • Four (4) counties have 6 to 10 lodging services • Ten (10) counties have 1 to 5 lodging services • One county has no lodging services listed

The Bed and Breakfast, Cottage, and Cabin accommodation segment show the following: • Four (4) counties have none listed • Twelve (12) counties have 5 or less • Only two (2) counties have between 6 to 15 accommodations

The final accommodation segment refers to camp grounds, RV/trailer areas, and primitive sites, which include:

• Three (3) counties have none listed • Eleven (11) counties have 5 or less • Four (4) counties have between 6 to ten accommodations

Based on existing information collected via internet research and various travel guides, the data and quality of information for the region differs significantly. There are discrepancies and inconsistencies of the data gathered from local internet websites to the corresponding registered businesses. County and city sponsored websites, if available, are not consistent in regards to dissemination and set-up of information relating to tourism.

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The region is further delineated by the amount of scheduled activities in each county: • Two (2) counties have no festivals/events planned • Eleven (11) counties have between 1 and 5 festivals/events planned • Three (3) counties have between 6 and 10 festivals/events planned • Two (2) counties have between 11 and 20 festivals/events planned

Historical and cultural attractions are divided as follows: • Two (2) counties do not have any listed • Eight (8) counties have between 1 and 5 attractions • Four (4) counties have between 6 and 10 attractions • Four (4) counties have between 11 and 15 attractions

Data for festivals/events were obtained from Kentucky Festivals (www.kyfestivals.com), in addition to the individual county Chamber of Commerce or tourism sites, if available. The remainder of the summary chart presents recreational activities and attractions – it is important to note that all counties contain five or less different available recreational activities, if any. Counties associated with national or state parks have several amenities and activities directly related to each individual park. All aspects of adventure tourism will unite, balance, and promote the development of the region. Counties must contribute to the creation of a new and diverse tourism initiative directed at the modern family with a multitude of interests – adventure tourism accomplishes this goal. Establishing better and all-inclusive dining and lodging facilities is one facet of this directive; endorsing a cultural and historical way of life while preserving the raw nature and pristine environment is a second facet; and third, the creation one central website and supporting brochures is required to provide easily available, essential, and consistent information with accessible links for each county and/or city in the region to communicate and correspond with the regions overall adventure tourism plan.

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Figure 16 - Summary matrix of service providers

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ADVENTURE TOURISM PLAN This Comprehensive Adventure Tourism Plan for Eastern Kentucky has been developed as a result of thorough research into the interests and capacities of the local communities; demographics of residents, current visitors, and potential visitors; and best practices demonstrated in other regions of the United States on similar regional development campaigns.

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT PLAN Concept development for adventure tourism in eastern Kentucky was based on input from the site and market analysis. The PROS Team identified the project objective and guiding principles, and developed conceptual site layouts illustrating general location of activities as defined in the market analysis. With the objective of the development of a comprehensive adventure tourism plan for eastern Kentucky to maximize the value of the natural and cultural resources as economic and community assets while controlling the financial investment by public sources, we have prepared the following development guidelines: GUIDING PRINCIPLES In order to achieve the project objective, three guiding principles were created:

• Themed development operating as a system of amenities and attractions. • Designed to produce both direct and ancillary revenue to offset operating costs. • Utilize partnerships to leverage local resources to reduce capital costs by county or city funds.

Themed Development Operating as a System of Amenities and Attractions The attractions of eastern Kentucky are well-aligned with adventure activities that have significant trend appeal. The development of existing and new amenities should reflect those trends in their themes and messaging. The following guidelines can direct these efforts:

• Create a balance of active and passive areas • Ensure wide age and interest appeal • Implement high-end design standards that support the recreation needs of each targeted market

segment • Establish strong connectivity with all sites • Develop effective signage, way finding, and gateways • Prepare a strong promotions campaign

Design to Produce Revenue Among the obvious objectives for adventure tourism amenities in eastern Kentucky is to generate both direct and ancillary revenues to support operating costs. The following principles can assist to maximize revenue generation potential:

• Develop revenue generating zones that can be properly managed within the individual sites (ie. gate admissions, retail, rental services, etc.)

• Evaluate cost-benefit throughout the development and operations of the individual sites • Design facilities and amenities to support an appropriate length of stay • Design facilities and amenities based on demographics served

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• Design promotional campaign to resonate with interests and demands from target market segments

Utilize Partnerships to Leverage Local Resources Effective and strategic partnerships can leverage local resources in order to achieve results that may have otherwise been beyond the resources of any of the local jurisdictions in eastern Kentucky. In order for these partnerships to work, however, they must target the following outcomes:

• Evaluate and utilize subordinate leases • Limit local public capital investment • Limit local public operations and maintenance responsibilities • Maintenance endowments or sustainable funding mechanism should be established for major

amenities and attractions through diversified and dedicated portions of revenue

DEVELOPMENT PLAN Eastern Kentucky has many existing amenities and attractions that support the growth of a viable adventure tourism industry that can be successfully competitive with alternative destinations within a 250 mile radius. To achieve this, however, there are critical elements to be addressed. Through the process of the situational, stakeholder and market assessments PROS identified the elements that are most appropriate for the counties within the pilot study area to focus on. Eastern Kentucky has multiple adventure recreation and tourism venues that are both currently and potentially world-class attractions. These venues are geographically dispersed and often appeal to diverse use groups that are not typically researching or accessing alternative recreational opportunities within the region. The amenities of the pilot study area would greatly benefit from integrating a common brand, image and message to their respective user groups to encourage cross-pollination and cross-over usage. Current statistics and research support the assertion that adventure enthusiasts have a high degree of potential cross-over to other forms of adventure recreation experiences. The specific examples on the following pages are a sample of great venues that have integration potential.

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CAVE RUN LAKE MOUNTAIN BIKE TRAILS Mountain biking trails in Bath and Rowan counties are acclaimed to have the potential to rival the quality and reputation of more renowned trails in the American West, including Slickrock Trail in Moab, Utah. To achieve this status trails need to have more consistent signage and GPS mapping to assist users in finding authorized entry points and determining their current location. Additionally, trail maintenance should have an established standard that is consistently worked towards in order to protect the quality of the natural terrain given increased usage and to provide a more satisfying experience to users.

^̀

^̀Bath Owingsville

Olympia

Salt Lick

SharpsburgReynoldsville

§̈¦64

RowanMorehead

CranstonHaldeman

Lakeview Heights

Figure 17 - Cave Run Lake area mountain bike trails

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RED RIVER GORGE CLIMBING AREA he Red River Gorge Climbing Area is a diamond in oth the American and international climbing scenes. his area is actually well maintained by the federal nd management and conservation agencies, Red iver Gorge Climbers Coalition and numerous private terprises supported by the climbing-based tourism dustry. It is recommended that the area have

consistent signage and GPS mapping to assist visitors to link their Red River climbing experience to the many additional adventure recreation opportunities in the region. Figure 18 depicts the major climbing crags within the Red River Gorge area. RUSSELL FORK RIVER The Russell Fork River has four whitewater releases annually that produce up to class V whitewater that is the national paddling community as a world-class venue. Due to its relative infrequency, the iver can see great traffic on release dates, but remains fairly laborious to access the more advanced sections. Figures 19a and 19b show images of the Russell Fork. It is recommended to consider the construction of a simple whitewater feature to be constructed within the existing riverbed that would accommodate more frequent usage and easier access for paddlers to enjoy. Consistent signage and GPS mapping would make a great different to connect the Russell Fork paddlers to the rest of the eastern Kentucky region.

TbTlaRenin

Figure 18 - RedGorge climbing crags

River

celebrated in

r

Figure 19a - Russell Fork River and Elkhorn City (above); Figure 19b -Russell Fork River (below)

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Pike

Floyd

Harlan

Knott

Perry

Breathitt

Estill

Morgan

Letcher

n

Wolfe

Martin

Magoffin

Johnson

Powell

Menifee

Bell

Bath

Rowa

Figure 20 – sKYward Trail Project

SKYWARD TRAIL PROJECT The leadership within the local communities of eastern Kentucky have developed plans and strategies for creating an integrated, multi-use trail system that traverses 12 counties within the

Mountain Trail Development Coalition has incubated the sKYward Trail project to become one of the most ambitious trail projects in recent history, encompassing numerous private land owners, public lands and striving to achieve over 2,000 miles of trails for ATV, mountain biking, equestrian and hking user groups ecompassing the counties indicated in Figure 20.

revealed in multiple interviews with unity leaders, it is a local expectation and

standard that these trails can predominantly ction as multi-use venues for all trail sports. OS does not recommend this, but rather a

neation of certain trails for certain es. Trails can connect and may incorporate lti-uses within select zones, but the system

ould ultimately reflect a strategic approach to parating user groups for purposes of trail

maintenance requirements and customer satisfaction.

onfiguration roper trail configurations will require gnificant relationship building, adership, and credentialed design

fforts in order to develop the vision for xactly what the sKYward Trail system going to look like and how it will erform. PROS provides the following

nitially guide

region. The

Ascomm

funPRstrategic deliusmushse

Figure 21 - County region public land and trail areas

CPsileeeisptwo critical key issues to ithat process.

Land Availability In most cases, larger scale trail projects in eastern Kentucky will involve the conjunctive use of both public and private lands. In cases of public lands, approved usage typically requires

62

negotiations with land management and conservationenvironmental zones, and public access requirementshould be approached with incentive packages inclumanagement of public access to select or restricted a Figure 21 on the previous page depicts public land h ldings in the study area; conversley, all non-public land holdings indicates private parcels that sh ld be considered for inclusion in the sKYward Trail project. Existing trails are also shown. Environmental Considerations There are numerous environmental considerations that will guide the design, development and management of and trail project. These include but may not be limited to terrain and erosion control,

these issues are ent

over the previous land ownership map. Figure 23 on the facing page illustrates bird conservation areas.

agencies to address liability issues, senstiive s. Where private land is required, landowners ding tax benefits, indeminity options, and reas.

oou

Figure 22 - Wildlife management and conservation areas

watershed issues and mitigation, wildlife, ecological restrictions, and user safety Figure 22 layers critical areas where

especially pres

63

Figure 23 - Bird conservation areas

64

De ign ustainable trail design requires extensive terrain, public and private land holdings, and available access points.

he emphasis of the trails within this plan was not just to make connections but to also provide a ariety of recreational opportunities. To ensure that this was accomplished, a variety of trail design

guidelines were considered. These include: multi-purpose trails, hiking trails, mountain bike trails, and ATV trails.

Trail alignments should attempt to generally follow existing logging road cuts and other previous access disturbances. This will limit additional disturbance and reduce the costs involved in clearing and grubbing. Portions of existing logging roads that ld be revegitated or otherwise barricaded in order to discourage unwanted traffic. A hierarchy of trails should be developed in order to reduce user conflicts.

Figure 24 illustrate best practice dimensions and considerations for trail design.

Other design considerations: • Trails should vary in intended use to ensure conflicting uses are minimized. • Trails should maintain a grade less than 5% whenever possible. • Trail cross slopes should not exceed 6%. • Trails with multiple uses should maintain sight distances of 100 ft. whenever possible. • Trail width and design standards should be in accordance with Kentucky’s recreational

trail plan. • Trails should use existing logging

roads whenever possible, but take care to design for prevention of erosion that can result from modifying previously impacted right-of-ways.

sS e surveying and mapping in order to efficiently navigate th Tv

will not be utilized as trails shou

Figure 24 - Best practice trail dimensions

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Pato ended that the surface be co pacted gravel rather than a paved surface. Parking stalls can be divided up with planting spaces anshev

are should be taken to retain as many mapofeefor

igure 25 depicts best practice

Other vehicle and parking design

mum slope.

Re s where sewer and water connections are not available have historically een vaulted systems which are classified as one of three types. These include: dehydration systems hich use heat to dry waste; waste reduction systems which circulate large volumes of air over the aste to evaporate liquid and recycling systems which store waste for periodic removal. Figure 26 on e following page shows a typical vaulted restroom from the outside.

aulted systems require significant infrastructure and cost to build but can accommodate relatively rge numbers of uses with a relatively low amount of maintenance and are considered the most silient to vandalism. Current prices of standard vaulted restroom facilities can range from $12,500 to

74,000, dependent on size and level of amenities. A common supplier of these facilities is Romtec, nd can be accessed at www.romtec.com

rking and vehicle access areas are often the most intrusive elements in a wilderness setting. In ordminimize the impact of required parking and access areas it is recomm

er

md islands in order to break down the apparent mass of the parking area. A planted “bump-out” ould be located at minimum between ery eight stalls.

Cture trees within the bump-outs as ssible. In short, parking areas should l as though they are nestled into the est.

Fdimensions for vehicle access.

considerations include:

• Parking should be appropriately located in multiple locations.

• Parking should be located on sites with mini

• Parking area should contain a drop off area of appropriate size and dimension for large passenger vans and truck/trailers.

Figure 25 - Best practice vehicle access dimensions

stroom facilities in locationbwwth Vlare$a .

oday it is more common to find poly-portable restroom facilities in sites where sewer and water onnections are not available because of their low initial cost and the ease of outsourcing frequent aintenance needs. If needed, poly-portable restrooms can be easily hidden behind aesthetic facades. any remote locations on state and federal lands are now serviced by composting toilets. These toilets

TcmM

66

roduce little or no odor; em

l system have a comprehensive system of signage. Several red, which builds upon best practices established through

ystems should include: entry/arrival signage, way finding , and regulatory signage.

ntry signage should be located at the main access points. These signs should designate the user’s

hical information, trail length, levation gain or loss and estimated completion times for appropriate user groups. This should also

egulatory signage includes instructions and cautions with respect to the use of the various program

p it zero discharge to the ambient environment and need simple manual maintenance no greater then vaulted facilities.

• Restrooms should be located adjacent to vehicular access points for ease of maintenance. • Restroom facilities should be in visible areas for ease of recognition by users and vandalism

prevention.

Figure 26 - Vaulted restrooms outside view

It is recommended that the sKYward Traikey signage systems should be considecomparable facilities and standards. These ssignage, informational/interpretive signage Elocation and highlight main attractions within the trail system (a map of the trail system may be appropriate in these areas. Way finding signage includes en route signs which emphasize a user is still on a desired trail and trailhead signs which emphasize trail information such as: topograpeinclude directional signage to any established program areas and/or facilities. Informational signage includes information and interpretive information about any number of things including: natural features, the various program elements, site and area highlights, etc. Relements. In addition, the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), has its own signage standards which should be used for all mountain biking related trails. The IMBA comprehensive signage system consists of the following: trail head signs which include a map and description of the trail, directional signs which provide navigational information repeatedly along a trail, warning signs

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sers. Figure 27 provides an example of trail head sign standards utilized at facilities near Whistler,

mended that the uniform gnage plan also include standard materials to be used for consistency of appearance and maintenance

ignage, other design considerations:

mended that the uniform gnage plan also include standard materials to be used for consistency of appearance and maintenance

ignage, other design considerations:

which indicate caution is needed for upcoming hazards, difficulty-level signs which are located at every access point to display the trail’s difficultly and lastly regulatory signs which delineate rules to uBritish Columbia.

Signage costs are related to design, production and installation. There are multiple alternative materials used to make quality outdoor signage including wood, aluminum, and treated plastics. Depending upon material and design requirements signs can range in cost from $500 to $5,000 in production costs, and an additional $250 to $1,500 for installation. It is recom

production and installation. There are multiple alternative materials used to make quality outdoor signage including wood, aluminum, and treated plastics. Depending upon material and design requirements signs can range in cost from $500 to $5,000 in production costs, and an additional $250 to $1,500 for installation. It is recom

Figure 27 - Sample trailhead sign standard

sisirequirements. requirements. SS

• Signage should be located at the juncture of any two trail systems for orientation. • Signage should be specifically designed for each user group and program space. • Signage materials should be durable for outdoor use and should respect the signage character

developed for the neighboring resort and whitewater course.

• Signage should be located at the juncture of any two trail systems for orientation. • Signage should be specifically designed for each user group and program space. • Signage materials should be durable for outdoor use and should respect the signage character

developed for the neighboring resort and whitewater course.

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il projects and by industry referral, Trail Solutions provides an accurate assessment of what sustainable trails can cost to construct if wholly outsourced to develop as seen in the following excerpt from their letter regarding this project:

“Regarding costs, our experience indicates that quality single-track trail construction ranges from $5,500 per mile in flat, sandy areas, up to $50,000 per mile in steep, rocky terrain. Based upon my knowledge of the eastern Kentucky region, I would estimate that typical trail construction costs would be between $22,000 and $32,000 per mile.” (Chris Barnhart, IMBA Trail Solutions, 2007)

Phased Development

Estimated Construction Costs In order to estimate trail construction costs PROS contacted Trail Solutions, the trail design and building service provided by the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA). Through multiple past tra

It is strongly recommended that the Mountain Trails Development Coallition strategically phase development of the sKYward Trail project. The following phases are suggested for consideration: Phase I – Knott, Harlan and Bell County trails Phase II – Breathitt and Perry County trails Phase III – Magoffin and Joh nson County trails Phase IV – Pike and Letcher County trails Phase V – Martin and Floyd County trails It is recommended that each phase include 30 to 60 miles of trails at minimium to construct. This goal would result in developed trail systems totalling between 150 and 300 miles of additional trails targeting the identified market segments for adventure toursim and recreation. Phases may be developed on overlapping timelines if funds and political capital is available to support the efforts. It is reasonable that the overal trail project could take as little as five years and as muc ese factors. A thorough review of organizations with the capacity to contribute to the success of phased development, it is strongly recommended that the Kentucky Recreation Trail Authority (KRTA) be

support by budget allocation in the approximate range of rage

es,

pon the size and scope of the

h as 15 years to develop fully based upon th

granted legislative authority to operate and manage recreational areas and/or amenities in the state. This will allow for these projects to be developed and maintained without creating additional burden on the existing park and recreation management entities, while remaining coordinated in their mission and operational standards. Additionally, it is recommended that KRTA be given the ability to work more closely with State Police for enforcement and patrolling on these recreational areas. These responsibilities would require$150,000 to $350,000 for general expenses, depending upon the ability of KRTA to leve

agencioperational and maintenance costs through in-kind contributions from state and countycreate labor support through volunteer groups, and generate revenue through entrance or usage fees. It will generally cost between $10,000 and $25,000 annually per major area or amenity to maintain

ailheads, signage, access and parking, and restrooms dependent utr

69

costs generally range from $25 to $40 per mile dependent upon

• r of

• ized to ets

once created; and ght for GPS mapping projects related to the adventure tourism initiative to

quipment requirements for maintaing mapping system software will include a business server, and minumum is equipment, then purchase and install

nd $17,000. Training costs typically will ccrue by the per hour dependent upon the

osts for outsourcing mapping services can vary by service provider and level of detail required per

hased Development Guidelines

facilities. Annual trail maintenceterrain, design and construction standards, and usage. KRTA can play an integral role in coordinating the mapping equipment and efforts to support the recommendations of this plan. Specific suggestions for how KRTA can perform in this role include:

coordinating mini-grants that engage a third-party provider (either public, private, ootherwise) to peform GPS mapping services as directed to create a comprehensive setmaps for the project;

coordinating grants, direct budget allocations, and/or budget match requirements utlpurchase equipment that will support the maintenance of mapping systems and map s

• provide oversimaintain consistency and quality within the deliverables.

Ea of two work stations. To purchase and set-up thappropriate software will typically cost between $12,000 aa hour, and could be estimated at an average of $75service provider. Cproject. Costs estimates can range from $5,000 to $10,000 for smaller projects, and $25,000 to $75,000 for larger scale projects. P

ing

ted length, types of usage, and general location.

formats.

ign

Basic guidelines recommended for phased development of the sKYward Trail include the followcritical progress areas:

• Identify target trail projects by county, including projec

• Establish a local steering committee consisting of volunteers to provide insight, direction, and labor to support the administrative aspects of trail project development. This committee can work directly with a county work group supporting the adventure tourism plan and KTRA.

• Identify large land owners (public and private) in which intended trail projects will will besuitable and realistic.

• Begin dialogue with stakeholders and land owners through both public and private meeting

• Survey and map intended trail projects to identify topographical characteristics and desrequirements.

• Create a project budget and timeline based upon survey results and design requirements.

70

Jenny Wiley State Resort Park on Dewey Lake offers multiple recreation opportunities to visitors loo inc

inc

JENNY WILEY STATE RESORT PARK

king for lake sport experiences. The facility is a state resort park located in the pilot study area andludes a wide array of facilities and amenities, as shown in Figure 28.

ng for lake sport experiences. The facility is a state resort park located in the pilot study area andludes a wide array of facilities and amenities, as shown in Figure 28.

Figure 28 - Jenny Wiley State Resort Park

71

ATURAL BRIDGE STATE RESORT PARK breathtaking geological formations similar to the sandstone

s shown in Figure 29.

NNatural Bridge State Resort Park featuresbridges carved out of the American desert in Utah. Located on property are a multitude of trails, adventure sport opportunities, accommodations and more. The facility is a state resort park located in the pilot study area and includes a wide array of facilities and amenities a

Figure 29 - Natural Bridge State Resort Park

72

8

te to ikers and users their current location in relation to their point of origin and next access point. Figure

BREAKS INTERSTATE PARK AND CONFERENCE CENTER Breaks Interstate Park is locally refered to as the “Grand Canyon of the South” featuring the largest canyon east of the Mississippi River. The Canyon stretches five

deep. The ark can continue to stregthen its success of being a part f a larger adventure destination region by continuing to evelop packages and partnerships with nearby roviders and services supporting the tourism economy, nd serving as the gateway that it is to the area from the ast and southeast. Figure 31 shows a map of facilities nd amenities at the park.

PINE MOUNTAIN TRAIL Pine Mountain Trail is a trail project that will eventually extend from the Breaks Interstate Park in PikeCounty to Cumberland Gap National Historic Park in Bell County, and is currently completed for miles. This trail has been improved and open to user groups. This trail system can benefit from uniform signage consistent with the remainder of the pilot strudy area and GPS mapping to indica

2

h30 depicts the planned end points of Pine Mountain Trail

Bell

Harlan

Letcher

Pike

Fishtrap Lake WMA

Breaks Interstate Park

Dewey Lake WMA

Figure 30 - Extent of Pine Mountain Trail

Figure 31 - Breaks Interstate Park

miles long and reaches points of being 1,600 podpaea

73

IONAL HISTORIC PARK

CUMBERLAND GAP NATCumberland Gap National Historic Park is centered around an 800-foot deep, natural break in the mountains that was heavily traveled by Native Americans who knew it as “Warriors Path.” Later called the Wilderness Road, an estimated 200,000 pioneers used the trail to cut through the Appalachian Maountains. Within the park there is great hiking, picniking, and interpretive programs, as well as the Hensley Settlement and Gap Cave. Figure 32 shows a map of facilities and amenities at the park.

Figure 32 - Cumberland Gap National Historic Park

74

ountain

Evarts. Figure 33 shows a map of trailhead locations for the park. Figure 34 depict trail aps that are available for user purchase either locally or via the internet.

BLACK MOUNTAIN RECREATION PARK Black Mountain Recreation Park is an innovative trail project developed and maintained in Harlan County notably for off-road and ATV use. Harlan County has an abundance of abandoned mraods and trails that have been transformed into an expansive off-road trail system. The park is accessed from the by Putney Trailhead located on US Hwy 421, from the south by Bailey’s Creek near the City ofm

Figure 33 - Black Mountain Recreation Park trailheads

Figure 34 - Black Mountain Recreation Park trail maps

75

NOTT COUNTY ADVENTURE PARK SYSTEM mbitious and state-of-the-art training facility designed for

f

for purposes of enhancing e amenities of the county and to develop an adventure park system with tremendous depth and tential. Figures 35 and 36 show maps of projected trail development for off-road and equestrian

se respectively, as taken from the Knott County Adventure Park System Master Plan.

KKnott County Adventure Park System is an amultiple trail uses, predominiantly focused on ATV/OHV and equestrian users. With the donation o600 acres from a private donor, Knott County embarked upon this project with great success in completing Phase One - the ATV/OHV training center and main trailhead facilities. Through a partnership with Western Pocahontas Coal Company, Knott County has secured use of 43,000 acres to develop several hundred miles of trails on for horseback riding. Knott County has similar relationships with private individuals and entities, and public organizationsthpou

Figure 36 - Knott County projected equestrian trails

Figure 35 - Knott County projected ATV/OHV trails

76

d

d

BUCKHORN LAKE STATE RESORT PARK Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park is a beautiful lake-side park with nestled in the Appalachians of eastern Kentucky. The park features a marina, beach, gift shop, lodge, cottages, dining room, anconference center, where there are multiple events are held throughout the year. There are also facilities to enjoy tennis, shuffleboard, horseshoes, volleyball, miniature golf, hiking, fishing and boating. Figure 37 shows a map of facilities and amenities at the park.

Appalachians of eastern Kentucky. The park features a marina, beach, gift shop, lodge, cottages, dining room, anconference center, where there are multiple events are held throughout the year. There are also facilities to enjoy tennis, shuffleboard, horseshoes, volleyball, miniature golf, hiking, fishing and boating. Figure 37 shows a map of facilities and amenities at the park.

Figure 37 - Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park

77

ARTNERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY by eastern Kentucky administrators and leaders for

an

r

• All partnerships will track direct and indirect costs associated with their partnership investment to demonstrate the level of equity each partner is investing in the partnership.

• Each partner will not treat each other as a client to client relationship but will create a partnership culture that focuses on planning together on a yearly basis, communicating weekly on how the partnership is working and performing and annually reporting on how well the partnership is working and the results of their efforts to enhance an eastern Kentucky’s adventure tourism industry.

• Full disclosure by partners to each other will be made available when issues arise. • Cross-training of the respective values and goals will be performed yearly so partners are in-tune

with issues they may be dealing with that could affect the partnership in place as it applies to finances, staffing, capital costs, political elements or changes in operating philosophies.

There are multiple configurations of partnerships that can be established in order to achieve optimal funding, maintenance and operations of a quality adventure tourism industry in eastern Kentucky. Potential partners are listed below in each category. POTENTIAL FUNDING PARTNERS Potential funding partners are organized by their affiliation or representation as either federal, state, local or private entities. Public Sector – Federal

PCertain partnership principles must be adopted existing and future partnerships to work effectively. These principles are as follows:

• All partnerships require an upfront recital that describes the reason for creation and establishesoutcome that benefits each partner’s involvement.

• All partnerships require a working agreement with measurable outcomes that hold each partneaccountable to the outcomes desired and to each other.

Agency / Source Focus Format US Department of Commerce – Economic Development Administration

Economic development, job creation, capital projects

Grants

Appalachian Regional Commission Strategic planning, economic and community development, capital projects

Grants

US Department of Agriculture – ural Business Enterprise Program

Rural business development, capital projects, capital equipment

Grants, loan guarantees

R

Office of Community Services Community and economic development, operational and capital projects

Grants

Community Development Block Grants Program

Community and economic development, job creation, capital projects

Grants

US Department of Education Youth and education grant projects Grants US Fish and Wildlife Watershed rehabilitation and restoration Grants

78

Grants US Department of Transportation Trail development US Congress Commerce development, economic

development initiatives Appropriation

US Department of Interior Rivers, Trails Conservation Assistance Program

Grants

Public Sector – State and Local Agency / Source Focus Format Kentucky Appropriations, Commerce Cabinet Parks, Tourism, Fish and Wildlife

grants KentuckyDevelop

ng Cabinet for Economic ment

Strategic planning, workforce development, small and new business development

Grants, fundibrokerage

Kentucky

Education Cabinet Adult education and lifelong learning Grants

Kentucky Environmental and Preservation, conservation, environmental GPublic Protection Cabinet reclamation brokerage

rants, funding

Kentucky d ion

Governor’s Office State development Special funallocat

County Governments County development Appropriationfunding broke

s, rage

City Governments City Development Appropriations, funding brokerage

Private Sector Source Focus Format Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta Community and economic

opment Loan assistance

develMountain Association of CommunityDevelopment

ation

er , funding Economic development, environmental protection and reclam

Low-intbrokerage

est loans

Private investors Business and economic development

Public-p

ri tnerships vate par

Industry related sponsorship Adventure tourism industry support

Asset ansponsor

dsh

program ips

Private Foundations Community development, adult Grants education, recreation and trails

Access Fund d Grants Climbing area development anmaintenance

American Hiking Society Grants, funding resources Trail development and maintenance

79

O ERSHIPS tenance and operational tion or repr

either state and local, or private entitied Local

POTENTIAL MAINTENANCE AND PERATIONAL PARTNPotential main partners are organized by their affilia

s. esentation as

Public Sector – State anAgency / Source Focus Format Kentucky Commerce Cabinet Parks, Tourism, Fish and

Wildlife Agencies Maintenance assistance of trails and wildlife corridors

County Governments Own / operate amenities and attractions

Maintenance assistance

City Governments Own / operate amenities Mainand attractions

tenance assistance

Private Sector Source Focus Format Kentucky Mountain Bike Association Mountain bike trail development In-kind labor and supplies,

eringagreemen

and maintenance brok maintenance ts

International Mountain Biking Association

ail development and maintenance

Standardsmaintenan

Mountain bike tr , brokering ce agreements

Red River Gorge Climbers’ Coalition ent and maintenance

In-kind labrokeringagreemen

Climbing developm bor and supplies, maintenance ts

American Whitewater ce protection and abor and supplies, Resourresponsible recreation

In-kind lbrokering maintenance agreements

American Hiking Society Trail development and maintenance

In-kind labor and supplies, brokering maintenance agreements

Discover Today’s ATV Trail development and maintenance

In-kind labor and supplies, brokering maintenance agreements

Private investors Private business development rships, Public-private partne

80

peaks bordered by valleys. Economic impact by definition ) generated as a result of economic input that are realized over a

e. The following e ysis includes com of the market base and habits .

can only be me pre-o ctivity

markect expenditures. endi activity

y period – a nanagement while direct expenditure alary and wages paid by the restaurant to the

c fre ct

that result from the creation of a larger, e. complimentarysports stadium such as restaurants, overnight accommodations, and souvenirs. When analyzing the

action or o ot e direct (jobs and wages) o y service jobs or s

o usehola result of the increase in economic activ Given that this is the exploratory stages of the Adventure Terrain vacation industry and support sectors are not currently in existence, estimates were made to attempt to project the future economic impact of the region. Support data was obtained from ESRI in May 2007. Three summary reports were composed to illustrate the current business environment of the study area:

mmary Report • Retail Market Place Profile

d Services Exp

The Business Summary Report identifie f businesses and empl in a given market. It also provides a com ytime versus residenti

provided by Inf ade for 2006

• 2006 total Businesses, Employees, Residential Population, and Daytim opulation

Total number of businesses and employees for select industry groups

he Retail Goods and Services Expenditures report details total dollar amount and average amount per ousehold spent on retail goods and services such as food, apparel, travel, and insurance. A spending otential index (SPI) compares the amount spent in a specified area to the U.S. average. Expenditure ata is derived from the 2001, 2002, and 2003 Consumer Expenditure Surveys, Bureau of Labor

ending Potential Index (SPI) is household-based, nd represents the amount spent for a product or service relative to a national average of 100. Detail

may not sum to totals due to rounding of data.

ECONOMIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT The impact of tourism and vacation travelers on the economy of many towns, areas, or regions looks similar to cardiograph readouts – multipleis the sum of economic dollars (outputgiven period of tim conomic anal pilation quantifying consumer spending and retail market analysis

True economic impact generated in the post-occurrence

asured by comparing the et; the most common and identifiable

ccurrence market to the ameasures are direct

employment and dirlaunched during the stud

Direct jobs and direct expew restaurant’s direct jobs would be the

s would be the s

tures are generated by anwait staff, cooks, and

memployees. It is also important to capture the indiredirect effects into other industries and s

t effects of the impact that results ctors. An example of indirect effesingular activity, i.

om the “trickle down” of s is the ancillary activities services located near a

potential impact of a tourist attraffected by th

venue, the most important factor fr indirect (ancillar

r those local residents nale of complimentary

goods) factors is the induced or househ ld effects – the increase of hoity.

d income in the market as

• Business Su

• Retail Goods an enditures

s the number oparison of da

oyees per industry groupal population for a given

area. Business data was this report include:

oUSA, with forecasts m . Key variables used in

e/Nighttime PRatio

•

ThpdStatistics, and forecast for 2006 and 2011. The Spa

81

Housekeeping supplies • Insurance

an Industry Classification System (NAICS) was used to

apita Income retail trade and food and drink industry sectors for retail trade and food and drink industry sectors

food and drink industry sectors

ain study area was examined to provide a snapshot of the current business r

and ancillary es are as important. Accommodations, food services and drinking places, general r the vacationer.

Key variables used in this report include: • 2006 and 2011 Population, Households, Families, Median Age, and Median Household Income • 2006 total and average amount spent on retail goods and services, such as • Apparel and services • Child care • Computers • Entertainment fees and admissions • Food at home • Food away from home • Gasoline and motor oil • Household furnishings and equipment •

• Investments • Pets

The Retail Market Place Profile report identifies retail sales and retail potential dollar amounts; the leakage/surplus factor, which measures the gap between supply and demand; and the number of businesses by industry. Supply (retail sales) estimates sales to consumers by establishments. Sales to businesses are excluded. Demand (retail potential) estimates the expected amount spent by consumers at retail establishments. The Retail Gap represents the difference between Retail

otential and Retail Sales. The North AmericPclassify businesses by their primary type of economic activity. Retail establishments are classified into 27 industry groups in the Retail Trade sector, as well as four industry groups within the Food Services & Drinking Establishments subsector. Key variables used in this report include:

• 2006 Population, Households, Median Disposable Income, and Per C• Total retail sales dollars for • Total retail potential dollars • Leakage/Surplus factor for retail trade and • Total business in retail trade and food and drink industry for a specified area •

MARKET BASE The Adventure Terrenvironment. As vital as tourism and vacation traveler specific attractions may be, the support secto

servicretail, and recreation and amusement are the predominant service providers fo The study area employs nearly 30% of the local population base for a total of 119,379 persons employed in more than 13,000 businesses as seen in Figure 38 on the facing page.

82

ulation:

13,078119,379405,63429.43%

Eastern Kentucky Advenutre Tourism PlanBusiness Summary by Study Area - NAICS Code

Total Businesses:Total Employees:Total Residential PopDaytime/Nighttime Population Ratio:

Figure 38 - Business summary

The largest industry in terms of number of employees is in the retail trade. The top five emplindustry

oyers by are:

ployees es – 5,204 total estimated employees

verage stores – 4,646 total estimated employees d social assistance sector – 19,259 total estimated employees

ational services – 14,244 total estimated employees

g

tudy was % of all retail trade

beverage d miscellaneous nt portion of the

inesses. The high percentage of employees to the relative low number of general stores (25.7% of retail trade persons employed; 7.3% of all retail trade businesses)

of big-box or other large retailers in the market.

s and on.

sector and total employees • Retail trade – 20,290 total estimated em• General merchandise stor• Food and be• Health care an• Educ• Mining – 12,450 total estimated employees • Public administration – 9,926 total estimated employees

Located in the sixth position of total employment rankings is the accommodations and food services with a total nearly 8,000 persons employed and in roughly 600 different businesses. The existinaccommodations and food services and retail trade would imply a ready foundation for the tourism and vacation traveler. The gross majority of the accommodations and food services are employed in the food and drink establishments; the limited number of accommodation businesses may indicate a deficit in hotel/motel/other businesses. Nearly half of all food expenditures noted in the Hatfield/McCoy Trail economic impact smade on groceries as opposed to prepared food. This bodes well for the roughly 20businesses being food and beverage – 22.9% of the retail trade employees are food andpersonnel. Motor vehicle and parts dealers (16.5% of all retail trade businesses) anstore retailers (15.1% of all retail trade businesses) comprise the remaining significaretail trade busmerchandise implies a presence CONSUMER SPENDING HABITS Retail goods and services expenditures depict the moderate consumer spending patterns of the study area. Average amount spent and total expenditures by industry, along with a household based spending potential index that represents the amount spent for a product or service relative to the national average was analyzed. The consumer profile of the study area – median age of 38 yearan average household income of nearly $26,000 – were used for the analysis foundati

83

Demographic Summary 2006 2011Population 405,634 406,406 Households 163,720 166,977 Families 116,437 115,700 Median Age 38.3 40.3 Median Household Income 25,813$ 29,626$

Eastern Kentucky Advenutre Tourism PlanBusiness Summary by Study Area

Retail Goods and Services Expenditures

enditures by industry sector divided by the number of g, many of times the largest consumer

y consumers – the highest nd transportation (vehicle

dy area was for with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs –

and esteem – the ending habits as they relate to

g

onsumers that will be vital to the economic engine of the tourism and acation traveler has vastly different spending habits from the local study area. Many of the one-hour

•

wer here

he lack of sufficient operational data due to the exploratory stages of the Adventure Terrain requires arket analysis of existing industry activity as opposed to data that may be benchmarked based on the

ctual ebb and flow of the vacation and tourist cycles. Retail industry data was obtained for the entire dventure Terrain study area and the retail market was analyzed by estimated sales, retail potential,

nd the leakage or surplus gap by industry group.

Based on average amount spent, total exp

Figure 39 - Consumer summary

households, consumer expenditures were ranked. Housinpurchase within a lifetime, ranked only third in average amount spent baverage consumer expenditures were vehicle related – vehicle loans apurchases net outlay). The fourth highest average consumer expenditure for the stufood. Comparing the consumer spending habits of the study area

lowed by safety, belonging, the foundation of which is the physiological need, folneed for safety amid a structure of dwelling is secondary to the sptransportation. Prescription drugs and smoking products are the only two consumer purchases that have a spendinpotential index of greater than 70. Spending habits for home mortgage/rent payments have an index of 46 and all food consumption has a spending potential index of 56. The target market, the group of cvinterval markets have spending potential index’s that range from the mid-80s to more than 100, signifying the likelihood of the particular consumer spending a greater than normal amount on a particular industry sector. The three to eight hour markets are particularly worth noting due to thelikelihood of the visitor spending multiple days on site. Each of the incremental markets from three-hour drive-time and up has a spending potential index of 85 or greater in the following categories:

• Entertainment and Recreation • Food Away From Home • Retail Goods

Travel

RETAIL MARKET ANALYSIS Analyzing the retail market of the study area allows for an overview of consumer purchasing poand spending habits. It is important to not confuse the supply and demand of the retail market, wsupply is depicted in total retail sales, with that of the consumer, where supply is depicted as total goods available. One of the measures of tourism and vacation travel is the health of the retail sector. TmaAa

84

When estimated retail potential exceeds estimated retail sales the ability to capitalize on the potential revenue generating activity occurs, or leakage. Effective demand, need backed with purchasing power, is therefore required to go outside the market area to fulfill the need. This is depicted in Figure 21 when the Retail Sales are less than the Retail Potential. When estimated retail sales are greater than the estimated retail potential, a market surplus has been realized. A market surplus signifies the ability of the market to attract and capture consumer expenditures from beyond the boundaries of the study area. A retail sales market surplus can be a

luding but not limited to, a retail monopoly, where a retailer in a rgistic

a

ry as a whole is actually operating at a surplus for the study area – more sales are

• Average $1.20 million in sales per business (3,197 total businesses)

result of a multitude of factors, incparticular area controls the total market for the region, consumer loyalty, or a retailer with a syneoffering that supersedes industry groups. Supply and demand estimates are in current dollars (2007). The Leakage/Surplus Factor presents snapshot of retail opportunity. This is a measure of the relationship between supply and demand thatranges from +100 (total leakage) to -100 (total surplus). A positive value represents 'leakage' of retail opportunity outside the trade area. A negative value represents a surplus of retail sales, a market where customers are drawn in from outside the trade area.

he retail industTcoming into the area than the estimated retail potential. However, the food and drink sector is operating with a leakage:

• Total Retail and Food and Drink – (16.43) Surplus Factor

• Estimated sales captured by each business at 0.04% • Retail Trade – (18.74) Surplus Factor • Average $1.33 million in sales per business (2,690 total businesses) • Estimated sales captured by each business at 0.05% • Food and Drink – 8.15 Leakage Factor (consumers are going outside the area to fulfill need) • Average $515K in sales per business (507 total businesses)

h business at 0.17% • Estimated sales captured by eac

Industry SummaryEstimated Supply

(Retial Sales)Estimated Demand

(Retail Potential)

Retail GapLeakage / (Surplus)

Leakage/SurplusFactor

Number ofBusinesses

Tota 3,858,337,935$ 2,769,418,964$ (1,088,918,971)$ (16.43) 3,197

Tota 90Tota

l Retail Trade and Food & Drink (NAICS 44-45, 722

l Retail Trade (NAICS 44-45) 3,597,123,998$ 2,461,848,840$ (1,135,275,158)$ (18.74) 2,6 l Food & Drink (NAICS 722) 261,213,937$ 307,570,124$ 46,356,187$ 8.15 507

Figure 40 - Retail market summary

85

iers

ECONOMIC IMPACT The study region of Eastern Kentucky’s Adventure Tourism Plan has output and earnings multiplfor tourism related industries on average of 1.36 and 0.37, respectively. This implies the following annual results:

• For every dollar of tourism related expenditures there is an additional $1.36 output and $0.37 household income generated throughout the study area.

• The region’s estimated tourism related expenditures of $39.4 million (lower bound) to $72.3 million (higher bound) has a total industry output of $63.5 million to $98.8 million and totaimpact on household income built through the economy’s recirculation of approximately $14.6 million to $26.8 million.

• The region’s average employment

l

multiplier across tourist related industries is 1.22, implying

n owever directly related to the attractions

th low

s are useful, baseline, order-of-magnitude estimates commonly used to iversity expenditures, and opening

pact should not be misconstrued as a scientific nomy as a result of a

cene with a static model. Multipliers are is

demand for labor and household

Multipliers used in this study are provided by the Regional Input–Output Modeling System (RIMS II) of the Bureau of Economic Analysis and are based on 2004 data for the eighteen county region. Assumptions that must be accepted when utilizing the Input–Output model are:

• Expenditures/purchases are assumed to be constant regardless of the scale of production • There are no supply constraints, and output is determined only by demand

commodity substitution • Output in each sector is uniform – an increase in the production of one good will lead to an

increase in all other goods that the industry produces

that for every job created from tourism an additional 1.22 jobs are introduced into the economy elsewhere.

Economic impact refers to the overall role that a particular industry may play in a region’s economy. Tourism has the ability to generate substantial economic impact for a city, county, region, and evetate. The ability for a region to attract potential tourists is hs

and related services provided. Economic impacts are translated through the effect of multipliers which incorporate linkages among the industries in a regional economy. Simply stated, expenditures fromsectors associated with high multipliers would transmit higher economic impact than sectors wimultipliers. The multiplieranalyze the impacts of tourism and travel, development projects, unand closing of various facilities. It is important to remember that the economic immeasurement, but as a forecast of potentially beneficial influences on an ecospecific activity – it is an attempt to measure a very dynamic sutilized as a way to try to account for the dynamics. In a static model environment, when demand

strial relationships and influences altered for a particular commodity, that change ripples through induh overall demand for other commodities, which in turn influences t e

consumption.

• The model does not allow

86

R

Average Daily Party Spendingby Lodging Category

LowerBound

AverageSpending

HigherBound

Motel / Hotel 201.24$ 236.75$ 343.29$ Bed & Breakfast 125.38$ 147.50$ 213.88$ Rental / Condo 119.21$ 140.25$ 203.36$ Camping 75.10$ 88.35$ 128.11$ Day Use 65.88$ 77.50$ 112.38$ Family / Friends 39.95$ 47.00$ 68.15$

IMS II multipliers were generated based on the Input–Output model of the Eastern Kentucky dy region’s economy. This study uses final demand multipliers for output,

tel/Motel

• Other vehicle expenses

on average spending profiles – lower bound, average spending, and igher bound – and applied to six different lodging categories (Figure 41).

percentage of the e region were applied to gross

was then m nings, and employment to yield the

pacts to the regional economy. For example, most of the expenditures related to supplies for gas nd oil are made outside of the region while only operating expenditures are made locally. Thus, the ale of gas and oil do not have a significant impact on the local economy and were not included in the

output.

Adventure Tourism stuearnings, and employment for tourism related industries, including:

• Accommodations • Ho• Bed and Breakfast • Camping fees • Other Rental/Condo • Food Services and Drinking Places • Restaurants and bars • Retail Trade • Groceries, take-out food/drinks • Gas and oil

• Local transportation • Clothing • Sporting goods • Souvenirs and other expenses • Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation • Admissions & fees

These multipliers were obtained for the 18-county study region. To apply RIMS II multipliers, all expenditures/ purchases are based h

Figure 41 – Average daily spending

Since not all goods are manufactured and/or produced within the region, estimatedrevenues generated through sales that are to remain within thexpenditures/purchases. The total estimated amount of locally manufactured goods and services

ultiplied by the final demand multipliers for output, earimas

87

Im

stimatedvenues/Sales

gion

% of Revenues to Remain inLocal Region

Total Rev/SalesCaptured byLocal Region

Output(Dollars)

Earnings(Dollars)

Employment/$M Sales

(Jobs) Lower 38,147 71.0% 39,440,639$ 53,966,327$ 14,641,926$ 824.2 Ave 65,338,996 71.0% 46,400,752$ 63,489,797$ 17,225,795$ 969.6 Highe ,503 71.1% 72,253,356$ 98,824,991$ 26,806,478$ 1,504.8

ism) Final Demand

(Impact of Estimated Tour

Summary of Economic Re

Total E

pact by Spendng Profile in Local Re Bound 55,5$

rage Spending $ r Bound 101,626$

When the total impact of region’s tourism related expenditures is considered, the output multiplier million direct expenditures will produce a total of $54.0 y throughout the study area’s economy (Figure 42 on the

rism expenditures create a wave-effect of economic activity that mpact of the direct expenditures, as noted in the figures above.

n the household income of the area – the total dollar change in earnings of tourism related industries for each additional dollar of output delivered to

ng to the entry – is based on an average multiplier of 0.37 and n. Total full-time job equivalents within

urism related sales are projected to be 824.2 (lower bound) to 1,504.8

nding to the entry – mply stated, it is the industry output per $1.00 change in final demand. Earnings represent the total ollar change in earnings of households employed by all industries for each additional dollar of output elivered to final demand by the industry corresponding to the entry – or total industry earnings per 1.00 change in final demand. Employment represents the total change in number of jobs that occurs all industries for each additional 1 million dollars of output – total number of jobs per $1.0 million

hange in final demand.

ocal and state revenues in the form of occupational taxes, sales taxes, and lodging taxes generated by urism were also estimated for the region. The transient room/lodging tax rate of one percent (1.0%) as applied to all lodging categories based on estimated party nights. An average occupational/local

eipts for estimated sales of all goods and services procured by the projected tourism industry. An average rate was utilized due to some counties and cities not

x

Figure 42 – Economic impact summary

(1.37) indicates that $39.4 million to $72.3 of economic activitmillion to $99.0 million

following page). In short, direct touresults in 1.37 times the economic i The effect of tourism ohouseholds employed by allfinal demand by the industry correspondiis estimated between $14.6 million to $26.8 milliothe region per $1.0 million of to(higher bound). The output total represents the total dollar change in output that occurs in all industries for each additional dollar of output delivered to final demand by the industry corresposidd$inc Ltowtax (1.1%) was applied to gross rec

mandating an occupational tax; occupational taxes on salaries and wages were not estimated. The state sales tax rate of six percent was also applied to all sales. Based on the daily estimated spending per party by profile, lower bound, average spending, and higher bound, total estimated taimpact for the region is estimated between $3.7 million and $6.8 million per year (Figure 43 on the facing page).

88

Tax Rate by Type, by Spending ProfileMotel/Hotel Camping

Rental/Condo

Bed &Breakfast

Family/Friends Day Use

Transient Room/Lodging Tax (1.0%) $ 64,749 $ - $ 56,346 $ 18,705 $ - $ - Average Occupational/Local Tax (1.1%) $ 146,483 $ 105,915 $ 87,618 $ 24,849 $ 7,325 $ 29,243 Sales and Use Tax (6.0%) $ 1,187,493 $ 701,484 $ 815,991 $ 247,772 $ 39,954 $ 159,507

Estimated Tax Impact by Accommodations Category $ 1,398,726 $ 807,399 $ 959,954 $ 291,327 $ 47,279 $ 188,749

3,693,434$

Transient Room/Lodging Tax (1.0%) $ 76,175 $ - $ 66,289 $ 22,006 $ - $ - A $ 172,333 $ 124,606 $ 103,080 $ 29,234 $ 8,618 $ 34,403 S

verage Occupational/Local Tax (1.1%)ales and Use Tax (6.0%) $ 1,397,051 $ 825,275 $ 959,989 $ 291,497 $ 47,005 $ 187,655

Esti 58

Tra Aver Sale

mated Tax Impact by Accommodations Category $ 1,645,560 $ 949,881 $ 1,129,358 $ 342,737 $ 55,623 $ 222,0

4,345,216$

nsient Room/Lodging Tax (1.0%) $ 110,454 $ - $ 123,119 $ 31,909 $ - $ -age Occupational/Local Tax (1.1%) $ 249,883 $ 180,679 $ 191,450 $ 42,390 $ 12,496 $ 49,885s and Use Tax (6.0%) $ 2,025,724 $ 1,196,648 $ 1,782,991 $ 422,670 $ 68,157 $ 272,0

Esti

Total Estimated Tax Impact, Lower Bound Spending Profile:

Total Estimated Tax Impact, Average Spending Profile:

99

mated Tax Impact by Accommodations Category $ 2,386,062 $ 1,377,327 $ 2,097,560 $ 496,969 $ 80,653 $ 321,984

6,760,555$ Total Estimated Tax Impact, Higher Bound Spending Profile:

Figure 43 – Tax impact summary

89

OPERATIONAL STANDARDS Adventure tourism largely depends upon the quality of the natural resource and therefore should establish uniform operation and maintenance standards. Operation and maintenance standards can direct new trail construction, guide trail renovation projects, and ultimately can protect the long-term usability of the recreation resource. Trail ratings and construction criteria were taken from those advocated by the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) and apply to trails of multiple uses. Likewise, climbing areas have potential for negative impacts for heavy or irresponsible usage and must be managed accordingly. Red River Gorge Climbers’ Coalition is active in protecting, ensuring and promoting responsible climbing throughout the region. The Access Fund can provide resources that guide responsible climbing management tools and best practices. References to those standards follow in the upcoming sections of the plan. Aquatic resources must also be vigilantly managed to protect the integrity of the watershed; water quality; water supply; and their economic; community and recreation value. American Whitewater is an advocacy association that has been actively promotion river stewardship and safe recreation since 1954, and has a wealth of success stories and resource tools to provide guidance for both resource

forts. Local, state and federal agencies seem generally supportive of the balance between responsible conservation and managed usage, but there are some circumstances where local, state or federal policy may impede the tourism potential of a resource. For example, state and federal policies impede the ability of businesses surrounding Buckhorn Lake to maintain annual impact by tourism due to extremely low lake levels in certain parts of the year, or limited and unpredictable access to trails through public lands create a sense of unreliability to adventure recreation travelers. Tourism and economic potential need to consistently remain a dimension in the decision making and policy directions of public agencies and elected officials towards natural resource management, conservation and responsible recreation. IMBA TRAIL RATINGS The IMBA Trail Difficulty Rating System is a basic method used to categorize the relative technical difficulty of recreation trails. The IMBA Trail Difficulty Rating System can:

• Help trail users make informed decisions • Encourage visitors to use trails that match their skill level • Manage risk and minimize injuries • Improve the outdoor experience for a wide variety of visitors • Aid in the planning of trails and trail systems

This system was adapted from the International Trail Marking System used at ski areas throughout the world. Many trail networks use this type of system, most notably resort-based mountain biking trail networks. The system best applies to mountain bikers, but is also applicable to other visitors such as hikers and equestrians. These criteria should be combined with personal judgment and trail-user input to reach the final rating.

management and rehabilitation ef

90

0

il Measurements

Rate Technical Challenge OnlyThe system focuses on rating the technical challenge of trails, not the physical exertion. It is not practical to rate both types of difficulty with one system. An example is a smooth, wide trail that is 2miles long. The technical challenge of this trail may be easy, yet the distance would make the physicalexertion difficult. The solution is to independently rate technical challenge, and indicate physical exertion by posting trail length, and possibly even elevation change.

ollect TraCUse the accompanying table taken from IMBA’s resource website (www.imba.com) and collect trail measurements for each criteria. There is no prescribed method for tallying a "score" for each trail. Evaluate the trail against the table and combine with judgment to reach the final rating. It is unlikely that any particular trail will measure at the same difficulty level for every criteria. For example, a certain trail may rate as a green circle in three criteria, but a blue square in two different criteria. Include Difficulty and Trail Length on Signs and Maps Trail length is not typically a criterion of the system. Instead, trail length should be posted on signs in addition to the difficulty symbol. A sign displaying both length and difficulty provides lots of information, yet it is simple to create and easy to understand. Likewise, elevation change is not a criterion. The amount of climbing on a trail is more an indicator of physical exertion than technical

ifficulty. Mountainous regions may consider d including the amount of climbing on trail signs.

ll e in

to combine tangible data with subjective judgment r example, a trail may have a wide range of tread surfaces - most of the trail

wide variety of features could xposure - the feeling of empty space next to and below

steepness or roughness of the drop looms on your side! Other qualities to

the rating. A diverse trail network with a variety of trail styles for multiple ses, some shared and some select, is a great way to ensure happy visitors.

Evaluate Difficulty Relative to Local Trails Trails should be rated relative to other trails in the region and not evaluated in isolation. This will help rank the relative difficulty of each trail and will help trail users select an appropriate route. Trails wirate differently from region to region. A black diamond trail in one region may rate as a blue squaranother region, but the ratings should be consistent locally. It is strongly recommended that easternKentucky trails align their trail rating system with that of neighboring trails if present. Use Good Judgment

ating a trail is not 100 percent objective. It’s bestRto reach the final rating. Fois easy, but some sections are more difficult. Use both internal and external expertise to consider all elements and select a rating that best matches the style of trail. Consider Other Trail Qualities You should consider trail qualities beyond the objective criteria. A contribute to a trail's difficulty. For example, ethe trail tread - provides an added psychological challenge beyond the trail. A 3-inch rock seems like a boulder when a 50-footthink about are corridor clearance and turn radius. Use Common Sense and Seek Input It is very difficult for any rating system to be totally objective or valid for every situation. This system is a tool to be combined with common sense. Look at trails with a discerning eye, and seek input from rail users before selectingt

u

91

• Tread Width - Tread width is defined as the average width of the active tread or beaten path of the for mountain bikers will have a varied trail width plus occasional

ace is a determining factor in the ,

l seldom ing

mum grade is defined as the steepest section of trail

• Natural Obstacles and Technical Trail Features - Objects that add challenge by impeding travel are

e objects that have been introduced to the trail to add technical

Provide both easy and difficult trails to help distribute visitors and impact, and to meet a range ofneeds. By indicating the length and difficulty of trails with a clear signage system, visitors will be able to locate their preferred type of trail more easily and emergency response in the case of an accident is more efficient. Criteria to consider includes:

trail. Single track trailsexpanded right-of-way that allows for maintenance or emergency access. Hiking and equestrian trails will also vary in width, and range from single track to double track. ATV and OHV trails should have adequate width to not cause pinch-points or areas that would be more subject to destructive erosion or dangerous to pass with a vehicle.

• • Tread Surface - The material and stability of the tread surf

difficulty of travel on the trail. Some descriptive terms include: hardened (paved or surfaced), firmstable, variable, widely variable, loose and unpredictable. Trails for ATV/OHV usage wilhave any improved surfacing, but erosion effects should be taken into account when considerdifficulty and maintenance requirements to sustainably protect the integrity of the trail.

• • Trail Grade (maximum and average) - Maxi

that is more than approximately 10 feet in length and is measured in percent with a clinometer. Average grade is the steepness of the trail over its entire length. Average grade can be calculated by taking the total elevation gain of the trail, divided by the total distance, multiplied by 100 to equal a percent grade.

•

either natural or technical trail features. Examples of natural obstacles include: rocks, roots, logs, holes, ledges, drop-offs, etc. The height of each obstacle is measured from the tread surface to the top of the obstacle. If the obstacle is uneven in height, measure to the point over which it is most easily ridden.

• • Technical Trail Features ar

challenge. Examples include: rocks, logs, elevated bridges, teeter-totters, jumps, drop-offs, etc. Both the height and the width of the technical trail feature are measured.

92

Figure 44 - Trail difficulty rating system

93

UNIFORM SIGNAGE AND MAPPING Visitors should have a sense of arrival upon entering the 18-county region of the pilot study area. Currently there exists no uniform signage strategy to give the visitor the impression they have not only arrived, but also that the region is united as a tourism district. Signs should display a geographic map of the entire region with iconic identification of different attractions and adventure recreation venues. For example, it is recommended that universal icons be used for ATV/OHV trails, mountain biking trails, rock climbing areas, whitewater and paddling venues, hiking and horseback riding trails, and lake that feature lake sport opportunities. Likewise, state resort parks can be noted on the maps to indicate locales of accommodations managed by the state and accompanied with traditional park amenities. Additionally, signs should provide helpful information for visitors specific to the amenity or attraction in which they are presently located, emergency and safety instructions, and usage rules and regulations. Maps should indicate GPS positioning when possible and in the case of trails indicate any GPS markers that may be present throughout the length of the trail providing navigational assistance. Proper and consistent usage of GPS markers can assist law enforcement and emergency personnel to locate patrons in distress and reduce the required manpower needed to effectively patrol trails and trailheads. ACCESS FUND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CLIMBING AREA MANAGEMENT Recommendations for climbing area management is provided as guidelines for development and management of any climbing areas. These guidelings area taken in part from Climbing Management: A Guide to Climbing Issues and the Production of a Climbing Management Plan, compiled and printed by The Access Fund in 2001, with support from REI, Inc. These guidelines include:

• Climber Access and Paths • Liability • Fixed Anchors • Search and Rescue • Fixed Safety Anchors • Bolts and Resource Protection • National Guidance on Fixed Anchor Safety • Visual Effects of Climbing Activity • In some areas, climbing can be one of the most conspicuous recreational activities. Some non-

climbers enjoy the presence of climbers in the natural landscape, while others feel it detracts from their experience.

• Chalk • Other Climbing Management Issues

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T

een ecological watershed management, creational demands, and water supply demands from various perspectives and varying degrees of

ly recommended that regulatory agencies work losely with all stakeholder groups to ensure that the resource is being actualized to its potential as a

CA) is an advocacy and outreach organization with a long track record in promoting safe and

AQUATIC RESOURCE MANAGEMENLocal, state an federal agencies are actively involved in managing watersheds in eastern Kentucky and have many success stories in rehabilitative efforts where there was previous pollution problems. Traditionally, resource managers must maintain a balance betwreempathy to other stakeholder interests. Managers should work to control and reduce point source pollution, non-point source pollution, dumping of dredge or fill material, and litter and large scale dumping. Parking and public access tolakes and waterways is an important element of both planning and maintenance requirements of supporting aquatic recreation. Additionally, it is strongcvenue and asset for tourism and economic development. For further information and guidance on trends and current events in recreation-based aquatic resource management can be found from American Whitewater. Additionally, American Canoe Association (Aresponsible recreation, while also encouraging enthusiasts to be active in demonstrating appropriate stewardship standards in their interactions with waterways.

95

RGANIZE EXPECTATIONS, ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES s and

partment / GOLD Office ecommended Timeline: Within three months of plan acceptance

d r

al communities, or qualitative such as proving customer service ratings and quality of service options.

Responsible party: State Tourism Department / GOLD Office / Community Leaders

Recommended Timeline: Within three months of plan acceptance MAINTAIN REGIONAL BASE DATA FOR TOURISM IMPACT Consistency must be maintained as reported locally regarding data across the region of the pilot study area on the accurate impact of tourism to the local economies. Some locales have an accurate or semi-accurate assessment of tourism’s economic impact, while other areas have little or no awareness of reference data. It is strongly recommended to seek funding assistance to perform an accurate assessment of tourism’s

ACTION PLAN The pilot study area encompasses 18 counties of eastern Kentucky that is the starting point for a regional adventure tourism development initiative. The following actions should be taken to unite and explain the selection of these participating counties and regional entities: OThis plan should be distributed to relevant leaders within the local communities, tourism agenciecommissions, area development districts, SEKTDA, and key private business organizations. Distribution should be accompanied by a series of kick-off meetings with select invitation lists todiscuss and strategize the implementation of the plan. Roles and responsibilities will have to be discussed and decided upon to achieve optimal results. Responsible party: State Tourism DeR DEVELOP REGIONAL GOALS FOR SHORT, MID, LONG TERM Once initiated, the leadership of this initiative must bolster consensus on short-term, mid-term anlong-term goals for the program. These goals can be expressed quantitatively as total visitor count omeasurable increase in tourism’s economic impact to the locim

current economic impact to the entire area, versus generalized travel expenditure data. This information will prove invaluable over the upcoming years as a critical part of attracting federal, state and private investment into adventure tourism capital. Responsible party: State Tourism Department Recommended Timeline: Within six months of plan acceptance

96

D BRAND AND MARKETING STRATEGY

ed to embody the appeal and

mmendations mentucky. These policies can assist to

,

rit is wor d relieve the

y, the alition have lent tremendous support

tinued discussions are mote the

ate lands for recreation and tesponsible party: State Tourism Department / Recreational Trails

Authority / Mountain Trail Development Coalition / Community Leaders

Recommended Timeline: Within nine months of plan acceptance

CREATE A UNIFIEIn order for the region to develop a measurable capture rate as a result of assertive adventure tourismdevelopment, a sense of identity and brand should be developed. This plan provides a suggested creative platform centered around the identification of Kentucky’s Adventure Terrain as the geographical reference to the pilot study area. The brand and marketing strategies should be strategically plannamenities of the area into targeted messages that can be direct at both existing and potential customer groups. Responsible party: State Tourism Department / Community Leaders Recommended Timeline: Within three months of plan acceptance POLICY RECOMMENDA NS

here are multiple policy reco ade as a part of this plan to support the development and TIO

Tsustainability of a viable adventure tourism industry in eastern Kmake more trails and natural resources accessible and available for both public and/or exclusive usemanage natural resources in an improved balance to enable resource-based tourism to grow, provide anongoing funding mechanism to the support the costs of execution of this plan, improve the enforcement of responsible recreation, and incent private business to invest in projects in the area. LAND OWNER LIABILITY (STATUTE 411.190) The Recreational Trails Autho y king to create and support legislation that woul

ability of private land owners who allow recreation and tourism on their site. AdditionallliTourism Department and the Mountain Trails Development Cofor appropriate policies to ease private land owner liability. Responsible party: Recreational Trails Authority / Mountain Trail

Development Coalition / Community Leaders Recommended Timeline: Within nine months of plan acceptance TAX INCENTIVES FOR LAND USAGE Current and proposed policies are aimed to provide tax incentive to private land owners who allow

Conpublic recreation on their lands, but do not financially profit from its use.required in this area to explore this and alternative forms of financial incentive to pro

njunctive use of public and priv ourism assets. coR

97

ENT

s t

n KDT and CED to participate in providing support nd coordination of business development initiative aligned with this plan. Specifically, this plan

t limited

ible party: State Tourism Department / Cabinet for Economic

T INITIATIVE

Leadership

lysis s benefit to adopt y allow

af y, but trail and from citations issued be

ment.

INCENTIVES AND SUPPORT FOR NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMThe Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development (CED) and Kentucky Department of Tourism (KDT) currently provides numerous programs and support to foster new business growth, businesexpansions and innovative economic development strategies. It is strongly recommended thacooperation is encouraged and achieved betweearecommends a high priority for business development in the tourism industry including, but noto hotels/motels, accommodation alternatives, restaurants and eateries, and service businesses. Respons

Development / County and City Leadership Recommended Timeline: Within nine months of plan acceptance TRANSIENT ROOM TAX TO SUPPORThis plan requires an ongoing marketing and promotions campaign directed at increasing the exposure of eastern Kentucky’s adventure tourism opportunities to the identified target markets. In order for this to be successful it must have a sustainable funding mechanism that can provide annual resources to support the initiative. Revealing that not all areas have a tax to support tourism promotions, it is strongly recommended to consider earmarking portions of the transient room tax to support the regional adventure tourism marketing efforts.

esponsible party: State Tourism Department / Recreational Trails RAuthority / City and County

Recommended Timeline: Within nine months of plan acceptance STATEWIDE ATV PERMITTING Kentucky is currently surrounded by states that mandate permitting for the operation of ATV’s, but

lf. It was revealedhas no such policy itse in both the situational assessment and stakeholder anathat there is tremendou ing permitting laws for ATV users. This would not onl

sts offor better regulation of ATV s et would create a revenue stream to support the coailhead upkeep. Revenues on violations to permit regulations would tr

dedicated to offset the costs incurred by the state police in enforceResponsible party: State Tourism Department / Recreational Trails

Authority / City and County Leadership / Transportation Cabinet

Recommended Timeline: Within 12 months of plan acceptance

98

nity

more

e rural, economicards touris financial ite in inco al to this

ccess of this plan that routine and coordinated efforts are made to provide engaging customer service ea and its people to visitors.

on

ative recommenda rvice urism to have a

the mploy have to be esent for em mployees to further their education and training. It is

explore potential reimbursement grant programs that can either be

S Harlan County leadership have enacted a munity to

o e infor ent plan.

he Harlan County Tourism Commission has conducted two forums as of May 16, 2007, and reported most 50 people attended each from all over county. County leadership have created five tourism istricts within the county delineated by the uniqueness of what each district offers. Participation in e community forums is encouraged for everyone, but is heavily promoted within those five districts. is recommended that similar forums be created or considered in other participating counties in the venture tourism initiative. esponsible party: Local and County Tourism Commissions / Area Development Districts / Community Leaders

ecommended Timeline: Within six months of plan acceptance

LOCAL RESIDENT DEVELOPMENT Throughout the process of researching both local issues and interviewing stakeholders and commuleaders, PROS learned of a consistent perception that this plan needed to include a focus on assistingto develop the local workforce. There are numerous social issues identified earlier that require intense resolution, but this plan attempts to link the success of an adventure tourism development initiative to the development of the local people upon whom that industry is dependent. CUSTOMER SERVICE TRAINING It is common to observ ally distressed areas that have residents with poor and

ts and visitors that obviously have more means andsometime hostile attitudes towresources. This is often exhib d nsistent and poor customer service. It is criticsutraining to employees of businesses representing the arResponsible party: State Tourism Department / Cabinet for Economic

Development / Area Development Districts / EducatiCabinet / Community Leaders

Recommended Timeline: Within six months of plan acceptance R ANTS FOR ADULEIMBURSEMENT GR T EDUCATION PROS makes an innov tion in this plan to strengthen the connection between seindustry employment and personal skill development through formal education. For todramatic effect on enhancing e ment climate of the region, then opportunitiespr ployers to encourage their esuggested that County governmentsdirectly or indirectly awarded to employers who subsidize educational expenses incurred by employees currently attending school at a regionally accepted educational institution. Responsible party: GOLD Office / County Leadership / Education

Cabinet / Chambers of Commerce Recommended Timeline: Within 12 months of plan acceptance COMMUNITY FORUM

great local model to allow members of the commation regarding the adventprovide feedback and receive m r ure tourism developm

TaldthItadR

R

99

enture urists through focusing on the current plans to create an ambitious, multi-use trail system; celebrate

ation venues; and explore relative low-cost, high impact

veloped strategic r integrated, mulit

recommended that trail uses be strategicissues and more extensive maintenance r ts can assist to design

t ar more all user groups.

use for the majority of their length. Multi-use

SIGNAGE, GPS MAPPING AND INFORvis ing wi ntucky that

gnage and GPS mapping could be greatly improved to not only better inform the users, but also make ailheads more efficient. It is strongly recommended that a uniform signage

d

areas, and other appropriate locations around the region. Cabinet /

cts / Recreational Trails Authority / Mountain Trail Development Coalition

ecommended Timeline: Within 12 months of plan acceptance

FACILITIES PROS is not recommending that eastern Kentucky need to invest in multi-million dollar recreation facilities at this stage beyond the current vision and plans for an integrated system of adventure tourism attractions. The area currently does not have the capacity to sustain the operational proformafor a large recreation center or other large capital investment. The region can, however, gain tremendous ground in its ability to attract and capture a large segment of visitors and advtoexisting world-class adventure recreimprovements to existing or planned recreation venues that will increase appeal and visitor satisfaction. TRAIL SYSTEM The Recreational Trail Authority and Mountain Trail Development Coalition have deand ambitious plans fo -use trail systems throughout the pilot study area. It is

ally separated appropriately to not create competitive user equirements. Trail design specialis

multiple-use trail systems tha e efficiently maintained and consistently satisfy Conversely, trails can have a singular or potentially dual sections can be integrated at trail junctions and major trailheads. Separating mountain bikers and hikers from ATV riders and equestrians will greatly improve the ability of agencies or organizations responsible for trail maintenance to keep up with maintenance standards. Responsible party: Recreational Trail Authority / Mountain Trail

Development Coalition / State Tourism Department / Cabinet for Economic Development

Recommended Timeline: Within 12 months of plan acceptance

MATIONAL CENTERS It was frequently noted when it th various user groups of trails in eastern Kesipatrolling the trails and trplan be established for major recreational trails and trailheads for recognizeability, safety and informational purposes. Additionally, PROS recommends these signs incorporate GPS coordinates and include GPS markers periodically along trail distances for user safety and emergency response. Finally, it is recommendethat a road signage plan be developed to promote the pilot study area and create a sense of arrival. Easily incorporated into this is a standard-designed informational center promotion attractions, amenities and suggested itineraries in Kentucky’s Adventure Terrain to be placed in visitor centers, tourism offices, highway rest Responsible party: State Tourism Department / Transportation

US Department of Transportation / Local Tourism Commissions / Area Development Distri

R

100

the

t, or

ch workgrou should be supported by county leadership through both tangible and intangible

y

ssets to coordinatopportunities aligned with the goals of th

ommunities (ie. ads, signage, accommodations, telecommunications, etc.) where improvement is necessary to foster

pporting infrastructure development

by

be present in each county. Ultimately, the goal of the forums is to promote itiative and coordination of all parties to stay focused on common goals.

e te

County workgroups identify and maininitiative over time. These measures cou ngth of stay, visitor spending, tourism-related taeducation attainment, employment rates,

IMPLEMENTATION RECOMMENDATIONS BY COUNTY It is recommended that all counties implement the following general responsibilities to be an active part of this plan’s success: Designate a county workgroup or committee to be responsible for coordinating and facilitatingcounty’s participation in the regional project. This group should select a liaison to routinely participate in regional coordination meetings and decision making. This workgroup may currently exist as either city or county employees responsible for tourism and/or economic developmenappointed volunteers to meet regularly and coordinate deliverables. Ea pmeans. Examples of support include assistance in grant application preparation and participation, nominal budget earmark to fund selected project planning, dedicated staff position to lead the workgroup, meeting and/or office space, letters of support for grant and funding requests, and advocacy with state and federal government for select projects. County workgroups assist local grant recipients to manage compliance with funding requirements on projects associated with the Kentucky’s Adventure Terrain – Nature’s Playground initiative. County workgroups identify key assets to promote in the context of the regional adventure tourismproject for short, mid and long term benefits. This plan provides suggested priorities, but counties maelect and justify to pursue alternative assets. Members of the workgroup should work with staff and management of these a e innovative programming, packaging, and other visitor

e regional plan. County workgroups assist to identify support infrastructure needs within their croa growing tourism economy. Consistent advocacy and action sushould remain a priority of the workgroup. County workgroups coordinate regular local forums to educate and promote participation by localbusinesses in the regional adventure tourism plan. The degree of public participation can verycounty, but forums shouldin County workgroups coordinate other tourism promotion and economic development organizations and their participation in the regional adventure tourism plan. It is expected that therwill be multiple chambers of commerce, governmental, quasi-governmental, and potential privaorganizations within each county that have relevance to participate in the regional plan at varying degrees.

tain performance measures to evaluate success of the ld include annual county leisure visitors, average le

x revenue, property values, secondary and continuing etc.

101

onal study area. These m opporunities

ity projects to enhance trails as al

from all ation kiosks should be strategically

placed to provide a sense of arrival and travel information.

d with

gional goal setting and marketing initiatives .

ll nants for adventure tourism. These two parks should be

and

ATV’s due

oordinate with relevant trail sport interest groups to identify priority projects to enhance and

nd mpaign

The following specific priorities are suggested for each county within the regipriorities are not intended to be a complete and exhaustive list of adventure touriswithin each county. BATH COUNTY

1. Active trail with particular attention to mountain biking due to the overall quality of existing mountain bike venues in Bath and surrounding counties.

2. Coordinate with Kentucky Mountain Biking Association and other relevant trail sport interest groups, and Daniel Boone National Forest to identify priorrecommended in the vicinity of Cave Run Lake and along the Sheltowee Trace NationRecreational Trail.

3. Interstate 64 and Highway 36 are major corridor in Bath County and provides access directions to the area. Campaign signage and inform

4. Focus on opportunities to bring more exposure to and enhance lake sports associateCave Run Lake.

5. Position Bath County as an essential element for tour itineraries that include mountain biking, hiking, equestrian riders, ATV’s, and lake sports.

6. Actively participate in coordination efforts for reassociated with the “Kentucky Adventure Terrain – Nature’s Playground” branding campaign

BELL COUNTY 1. Pine Mountain State Resort Park and Cumberland Gap National Historic Park are Be

County’s most prominent anchor teencouraged to offer or enhance packaged activities that range from self-guided to guidedprogramming that appeals to the identified target markets. Additionally, other facilitiesamenities should work to package offerings available at both or either of these parks intoexpanded suggested itineraries.

2. Active trail sports are a critical amenity in Bell County with particular attention toto the overall quality of existing ATV/OHV trails in Bell and surrounding counties andparticipation in the sKYward Trail project.

3. Cdevelop trails as recommended.

4. Highway 119 is a major corridor in Bell County and provides access from both the east awest to the area. Highway 25 provides major access from the north and south. Ca

102

d

5. Limited lake sports are associated with Chenoa and Cannon Creek Lakes. Explore with lake and nearby businesses/interested parties new or enhanced services that can be

6. Position Bell County as an essential element for tour itineraries that include ATV’s, hiking,

Kentucky Adventure Terrain – Nature’s Playground” branding campaign.

Resort Park. County government should consider working with US Army Corps of Engineers and relevant Commonwealth

all quality of the landscape and participation

nd Da iel Boone National Forest to identify priority projects to enhance trails as

ith Buckhorn Lake.

for regional goal setting and marketing initiatives

STILL OUNTY

popular destination nearby. Estill County should focus on encouraging longer periods of stay

signage and information kiosks should be strategically placed to provide a sense of arrival antravel information.

managersavailable.

equestrian riders, and lake sports.

7. Actively participate in coordination efforts for regional goal setting and marketing initiatives associated with the “

BREATHITT COUNTY 1. The current amenity Breathitt County should focus on attracting more visitors to and keeping

them for longer periods of stay is the Buckhorn Lake State

agencies to manage Buckhorn Lake draw-downs to better accommodate annual tourism efforts.

2. Active trail sports are waiting to more truly emerge in Breathitt County with particular attention to ATV’s and equestrians due to the overin the sKYward Trail project.

3. Coordinate with Mountain Trail Development Coalition, relevant trail sport interest groups, a nrecommended in the vicinity of Buckhorn Lake to begin.

4. Highways 15 and 28 are major corridors in Breathitt County and provide access from the north, south and west to the area. Campaign signage and information kiosks should be strategically placed to provide a sense of arrival and travel information.

5. Promote lake sports associated w

6. Position Breathitt County as an essential element for tour itineraries that include ATV trail rides, hiking, equestrian riders, and lake sports.

7. Actively participate in coordination efforts associated with the “Kentucky Adventure Terrain – Nature’s Playground” branding campaign.

E C 1. The Kentucky River in Estill County is one of the more popular destinations within the

County’s borders, and Red River Gorge / Natural Bridge State Resort Park is likely the most

103

e County.

of public land.

e trails as recommended.

arrival and travel information.

participate in coordination efforts for regional goal setting and marketing initiatives

the adventure tourism field is Jenny Wiley State Resort Park

in leveraging the park as a regional destination.

in the sKYward Trail project.

Coordinate with Mountain Trail Development Coalition and relevant trail sport interest

4. Highway 23 is a major corridor in Floyd County and provides access from both the north and

in Prestonsburg including the Kentucky Opry and East Kentucky Science Center

for visitors at Natural Bridge State Resort Park in order to enjoy the other amenities and attractions within th

2. Active trail sports are waiting to more truly emerge in Estill County with particular attention to mountain bikes, hiking, equestrians, and ATV’s due to the overall quality of the landscape and percentage

3. Coordinate with relevant trail sport interest groups, and Daniel Boone National Forest to identify priority projects to enhanc

4. Highway 52 is a major corridor in Estill County and provides access from the west to the area. Campaign signage and information kiosks should be strategically placed to provide a sense of

5. Promote lake sports associated with the Kentucky River as a value-added tourist opportunity.

6. Position Estill County as an essential element for tour itineraries that include ATV trail rides, hiking, equestrian riders, and lake sports.

7. Activelyassociated with the “Kentucky Adventure Terrain – Nature’s Playground” branding campaign.

FLOYD COUNTY 1. Floyd County’s anchor tenant in

located on Dewey Lake. This facility currently provides a multitude of services and programs that appeal to a broad target of active travelers. It is recommended that park managers and county officials work to implement a creative marketing campaign targeting short-term growth

2. Active trail sports are a natural fit in Floyd County with particular attention to ATV’s and equestrians due to the overall quality of the landscape and participation

3. groups, to identify priority projects to enhance trails as recommended.

south to the area. Campaign signage and information kiosks should be strategically placed to provide a sense of arrival and travel information.

5. Attractionsprovide great cultural and entertainment options for visitors to the county.

6. Promote lake sports associated with Dewey Lake.

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trails, and equestrian riders.

HARLAN COUNTY

anagers should continue to work together to organize events, industry sponsorship, user groups, and facility

raw to Harlan County with particular attention to ATV’s and equestrians due to the overall quality of the landscape and participation in the sKYward Trail

nce trails as recommended.

travel information.

nthusiasts and day hikers.

8. Cultural and outdoor attractions of Harlan, Cumberland and Evarts appeal to active travelers

9. There are limited lake sports available on Cannon Creek and Martin’s Fork Lake. With further

r tour itineraries that include ATV’s trails,

ing initiatives Nature’s Playground” branding campaign.

7. Position Floyd County as an essential element for tour itineraries that include lake sports, hiking, wildlife viewing, ATV’s

8. Actively participate in coordination efforts for regional goal setting and marketing initiatives associated with the “Kentucky Adventure Terrain – Nature’s Playground” branding campaign.

1. Black Mountain Recreation Park is undoubtedly the most exciting addition to Harlan County’s adventure tourism appeal. County leadership and park m

development/maintenance.

2. Active trail sports are a big d

project.

3. Coordinate with Mountain Trail Development Coalition and relevant trail sport interest groups, to identify priority projects to enha

4. Highway 119 is a major corridor and provides access to major attractions in the county. Campaign signage and information kiosks should be strategically placed to provide a sense of arrival and

5. Kingdom Come State Park is clearly a gateway to Harlan County from the northeast and features excellent day-tripping opportunities.

6. Blanton Forest and James E. Bickford State Nature Preserves, and Martin’s Fork Wildlife Management Area are great options for wildlife e

7. Little Shepherd Trail and Stone Mountain provide additional opportunities for sight seeing and short hikes.

seeking good day-trip options and alternative activities to the more intense adventure sports.

cleanup and access efforts, the Poor Fork of the Cumberland River can be an excellent paddling venue for people with little or no previous experience.

10. Position Harlan County as an essential element foequestrian riders, hiking, wildlife viewing, and mountain biking.

11. Actively participate in coordination efforts for regional goal setting and marketassociated with the “Kentucky Adventure Terrain –

105

st notable current attractions in Johnson County targeting adventure tourists. County leadership and park managers should

ports can become a major asset of Johnson County with particular attention to

Trail Development Coalition and relevant trail sport interest groups, to identify priority projects to enhance trails as recommended.

strategically placed to provide a sense of arrival and travel information.

ife viewing.

KNOTT COUNTY

arlan County. County and tourism leadership should continue to organize events, industry sponsorship, user groups, and facility

2. Active trail sports are a major asset of Knott County with particular attention to ATV’s and

5. Carr Creek (or Carr Fork) Lake and associated state park can provide excellent fishing and

6. Knott County has clearly taken major strides in developing wildlife viewing opportunities

JOHNSON COUNTY 1. Paintsville Lake and Paintsville Lake State Park are the mo

continue to work together to coordinate increased exposure and opportunities for visitors to the region to include Paintsville Lake in their plans.

2. Active trail sATV’s and equestrians due to the overall quality of the landscape and participation in the sKYward Trail project.

3. Coordinate with Mountain

4. Highway 23 is the major corridor in the county. Campaign signage and information kiosks should be

5. Position Johnson County as an essential element for tour itineraries that include lake sports and small town escapes, ATV trails, equestrian riders, hiking, and wildl

6. Actively participate in coordination efforts for regional goal setting and marketing initiatives associated with the “Kentucky Adventure Terrain – Nature’s Playground” branding campaign.

1. The Knott County Adventure Park System is a leader in innovative, county-wide trail projects and similar to the development progress of H

development/maintenance supporting the expansion of this system.

equestrians due to the overall quality of the landscape and participation in the sKYward Trail project.

3. Coordinate with Mountain Trail Development Coalition and relevant trail sport interest groups, to identify priority projects to enhance trails as recommended.

4. Highway 80 is the major corridor in the county. Campaign signage and information kiosks should be strategically placed to provide a sense of arrival and travel information.

boating opportunities in Knott County.

including the Adventure Park System, Starfire Wildlife Management Area, and Littcarr Wildlife Viewing Area.

106

t County as an essential element for tour itineraries that include ATV trails,

– Nature’s Playground” branding campaign.

hiking and wildlife viewing, and potential rock climbing opportunities.

ATV’s and equestrians due to the overall quality of the landscape and participation in the

3. Coordinate with Mountain Trail Development Coalition and relevant trail sport interest

4. Highway 119 is the major corridor in the county. Campaign signage and information kiosks

5. Attractions within and around Whitesburg including Mountain Motor Speedway, Whitesburg ark, Riverside Park, High Rock, and Raven’s Nest are all appealing to the active

articipate in coordination efforts for regional goal setting and marketing initiatives

and actively promote Magoffin County amenities.

sset of Magoffin County with particular attention to ATV’s and equestrians due to the overall quality of the landscape and participation in the

7. Position Knotequestrian riders, hiking, and wildlife viewing.

8. Actively participate in coordination efforts for regional goal setting and marketing initiatives associated with the “Kentucky Adventure Terrain

LETCHER COUNTY 1. Bad Branch Falls has been among the more popular sites located within Letcher County that

stakeholders from around the region were familiar with. Bad Branch Falls features great

2. Active trail sports can become a major asset of Letcher County with particular attention to

sKYward Trail project.

groups, to identify priority projects to enhance trails as recommended.

should be strategically placed to provide a sense of arrival and travel information.

Pool and Pand/or family traveler.

6. Wildlife viewing opportunities in Letcher County include Pine Mountain Wildlife Management Area and Jefferson National Forest.

7. Position Letcher County as an essential element for tour itineraries that include ATV trails, equestrian riders, hiking, and wildlife viewing.

8. Actively passociated with the “Kentucky Adventure Terrain – Nature’s Playground” branding campaign.

MAGOFFIN COUNTY 1. Very little information is currently available regarding adventure tourism opportunities in

Magoffin County. It is highly recommended that county and tourism leaders work to identify

2. Active trail sports can become a major a

sKYward Trail project.

107

ails as recommended.

arrival and travel information.

6. Actively participate in coordination efforts for regional goal setting and marketing initiatives

1. The epicenter of current visitor opportunities in Martin County is most notably centered

ld focus on enhancing amenities and attractions that will both draw visitors to the county, as well as potentially

2. Active trail sports can become a major asset of Martin County with particular attention to

a due to its location on the Commonwealth’s east boundary and

Coalition and relevant trail sport interest

dors in the county. Campaign signage and

County as an undiscovered frontier for future tour itineraries that include ATV

ature’s Playground” branding campaign.

s in the region. Within the bounds of Menifee County are portions of Cave Run Lake and Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail wish require coordination

3. Coordinate with Mountain Trail Development Coalition and relevant trail sport interest groups, to identify priority projects to enhance tr

4. Highway 460 and the Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway are the major corridors in the county. Campaign signage and information kiosks should be strategically placed to provide a sense of

5. Position Magoffin County as an undiscovered frontier for future tour itineraries that include ATV trails, equestrian riders, hiking, and wildlife viewing.

associated with the “Kentucky Adventure Terrain – Nature’s Playground” branding campaign.

MARTIN COUNTY

around Inez. Examples of attractions that may appeal as day visit options include Ray Fields Water Park and the Inez Walking Trail. Martin County leaders shou

extend their stay.

ATV’s and equestrians due to the overall quality of the landscape and participation in the sKYward Trail project. Martin County benefit from a potential trail project to connect with trails in West Virginiproximity to existing Hatfield-McCoy trails.

3. Coordinate with Mountain Trail Development groups, to identify priority projects to enhance trails as recommended.

4. Highways 645, 40 and 3 are the major corriinformation kiosks should be strategically placed to provide a sense of arrival and travel information.

5. Position Martintrails, equestrian riders, hiking, and wildlife viewing.

6. Actively participate in coordination efforts for regional goal setting and marketing initiatives associated with the “Kentucky Adventure Terrain – N

MENIFEE COUNTY 1. Menifee County has a multitude of quality adventure tourism amenities that often get

associated with other area

108

he sKYward Trail project.

ed.

can be promoted as a popular stop for experienced climbers.

ils, equestrian riders, hiking, climbing, and wildlife viewing.

regarding adventure tourism opportunities in

ATV trails, equestrian riders, hiking, and wildlife viewing.

with multiple counties, state and federal agencies for access protection, management guidelines, and promotional opportunities.

2. Active trail sports are a major asset of Menifee County with particular attention to mountain biking and equestrians. Great ATV trails can be developed due to the overall quality of the landscape and participation in t

3. Coordinate with Mountain Trail Development Coalition and relevant trail sport interest groups, to identify priority projects to enhance trails as recommend

4. Promote day hike amenities including Moonshiners Arch, Broke Leg Falls, Indian Arch, and Clifty Wilderness.

5. Tower Rock

6. Highway 460 is the major corridors in the county. Campaign signage and information kiosks should be strategically placed to provide a sense of arrival and travel information.

7. Position Menifee County as an essential visit on tour itineraries that include hiking and mountain biking tra

8. Actively participate in coordination efforts for regional goal setting and marketing initiatives associated with the “Kentucky Adventure Terrain – Nature’s Playground” branding campaign.

MORGAN COUNTY 1. Very little information is currently available

Morgan County. It is highly recommended that county and tourism leaders work to identify and actively promote Morgan County amenities.

2. Active trail sports can become a major asset of Morgan County with particular attention to ATV’s and equestrians due to the overall quality of the landscape and participation in the sKYward Trail project.

3. Coordinate with Mountain Trail Development Coalition and relevant trail sport interest groups, to identify priority projects to enhance trails as recommended.

4. Good day trip options for visitors include Old Mill park and Wrigley Arch. Additional day options could help to attract additional visitors to Morgan County and potentially extend their stay in the region.

5. Highways 460 and 7 are the major corridors in the county. Campaign signage and information kiosks should be strategically placed to provide a sense of arrival and travel information.

6. Position Morgan County as an undiscovered frontier for future tour itineraries that include

109

errain – Nature’s Playground” branding campaign.

rn Lake State Resort Park are traditionally the mainstays of Perry County tourism. County and tourism officials should

ians due to the overall quality of the landscape and participation in the

l to active travelers seeking good day-trip

an essential element for tour itineraries that include lake sports,

d marketing initiatives

ts from having some of the more developed infrastructure in the study area

7. Actively participate in coordination efforts for regional goal setting and marketing initiatives associated with the “Kentucky Adventure T

PERRY COUNTY 1. Perry County is well situated and surrounded by outstanding adventure tourism resources.

Attractions and amenities around Hazard and Buckho

work to integrate cultural and entertainment attractions with adventure recreation activities, specifically active trail sports.

2. Active trail sports can become a tremendous draw to Perry County with particular attention to ATV’s and equestrsKYward Trail project.

3. Coordinate with Mountain Trail Development Coalition and relevant trail sport interest groups, to identify priority projects to enhance trails as recommended.

4. Highway 80 and the Hall Rogers Parkways, as well as Highway 15 are major corridors in the county. Campaign signage and information kiosks should be strategically placed to provide a sense of arrival and travel information.

5. Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park is clearly a gateway amenity to Perry County from the northwest, and features excellent extended stay and day-tripping opportunities.

6. Access to Starfire Wildlife Management Area on the northern boundary of the county provides a great option for wildlife enthusiasts, as well as Jewel Ridge Wildlife Viewing Area.

7. Cultural and outdoor attractions of Hazard appeaoptions and alternative activities to the more intense adventure sports, including Fugate’s Entertainment Center, Perry County Park, and the Challenger Learning Center.

8. Position Perry County asATV’s trails, equestrian riders, hiking, and wildlife viewing.

9. Actively participate in coordination efforts for regional goal setting anassociated with the “Kentucky Adventure Terrain – Nature’s Playground” branding campaign.

PIKE COUNTY 1. Pike County benefi

and a successful history in economic development initiatives. In many ways in the economic hub of the region – a fact that should be leveraged for both the county and the region’s benefit. Pike County officials and community leaders should be prepared to take a leadership role inthe regional adventure tourism initiative, but be cautious to not overshadow the needs and interests of smaller and less developed counties.

110

Pikeville Cut-Through, Eastern Kentucky Exposition Center, Fishtrap Lake State Park, ty River Walk, the Russell Fork River, and Breaks Interstate Park. County officials

and possible connection with existing Hatfield-McCoy trails

in Trail Development Coalition and relevant trail sport interest

the county. Campaign

way to Pike County from the southeast and features

to Cumberland

travelers

ssibility of the

10. Position Pike County as an essential element for tour itineraries that include a short whitewater

11. Actively participate in coordination efforts for regional goal setting and marketing initiatives

continue to coordinate with park managers

2. Pike County tourism seems to notably be concentrated around Pikeville, popular Hatfield – McCoy historic sites, and Elkhorn City. Prominent attractions and amenities include the

Elkhorn Ciand asset managers should coordinate to create integrated travel itineraries and packages to attract visitors and encourage them to extend their stay in Pike County.

3. Active trail sports can become a big draw to Pike County with particular attention to ATV’s and equestrians due to proximityin West Virginia, and because of the overall quality of the landscape and participation in the sKYward Trail project.

4. Coordinate with Mountagroups, to identify priority projects to enhance trails as recommended.

5. Highways 119, 23 and 460 are major corridors and access points in signage and information kiosks should be strategically placed to provide a sense of arrival and travel information.

6. Breaks Interstate Park is clearly a gateexcellent multi-day opportunities, as well as day trips.

7. Pine Mountain Trail will eventually extend from Breaks Interstate Park and Gap National Historic Park, and be a major backpacking attraction to the area.

8. Cultural and outdoor attractions of both Pikeville and Elkhorn City appeal to active seeking good day-trip options and alternative activities to the more intense adventure sports.

9. The Russell Fork River is a whitewater treasure for experienced whitewater paddlers. There are existing interest groups that can be coordinated with to increase the acceriver, as well as potentially construct appropriate in-stream features to diversify the skill levels required to safely paddle the Russell Fork.

season, ATV’s trails, equestrian riders, hiking, mountain biking, and wildlife viewing.

associated with the “Kentucky Adventure Terrain – Nature’s Playground” branding campaign.

POWELL COUNTY 1. Powell County includes some of the most notable rock climbing venues of North America in

the Red River Gorge National Geological Area. Definitely, the aspect of adventure tourism that Powell County can become most renowned for is the world-class rock climbing opportunities. County and tourism leaders should

111

Numerous hikes and unique natural formations can be found throughout the extent of both parks in Powell County.

l County.

atures over 40 miles of ATV trails for riding.

recommended.

be strategically placed to provide a sense of arrival and travel information.

day packages for visitors to Powell County.

9. Position Powell County as an essential element for tour itineraries that include a rock

and private facilities/services targeting to maintain a sustainable schedule of events that bring greater exposure to the benefits in climbing here.

2. Powell County tourism is concentrated between Stanton and Slade. Prominent attractions are predominantly centered on natural features and areas within the Red River National Geological Area (RRNGA) and Natural Bridge State Resort Park.

Suggested day and multi-day hikes should be available for interested tourists to research prior to and during their visit. County and tourism officials should coordinate with park managers to create integrated travel itineraries and packages to attract visitors and encourage them to extend their stay in Powel

3. Red River Outdoors and Miguel’s are among the more prominent private facilities and services that currently serve adventure tourists in Powell County.

4. Active trail sports are a big draw to Powell County with particular attention to hiking, mountain biking, and ATV’s. Beyond trails in the national and state parks, Mountain Parkway Off-Road facility fe

5. Coordinate with Mountain Trail Development Coalition and relevant trail sport interest groups, to identify priority projects to enhance trails as

6. The Bert T. Combs Mountain parkway and National Scenic Byway are major corridors and access points in the county. Campaign signage and information kiosks should

7. Paddle sport opportunities are very popular on the Red River and should contribute to multi-

8. Cultural and outdoor attractions of both Stanton and Slade appeal to active travelers seeking good day-trip options and alternative activities to the more intense adventure sports.

climbing, paddle sports, hiking, mountain biking, equestrian riding, ATV’s trails, and wildlife viewing.

10. Actively participate in coordination efforts for regional goal setting and marketing initiatives associated with the “Kentucky Adventure Terrain – Nature’s Playground” branding campaign.

ROWAN COUNTY 1. Rowan County has world-class mountain biking trail opportunities in Daniel Boone National

Forest, portions of the Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail, the trails and amenities of Cave Run Lake, and the attractions around Morehead. County and tourism officials should

112

one National Forest.

ed.

tineraries that include a mountain

ing initiatives

mbing opportunities available here. County and tourism

benefits in climbing here.

also include numerous hikes and unique natural formations can be found throughout the park

coordinate with park and facility managers to create integrated itineraries for active travelers to Rowan County.

2. Rowan County tourism seems to notably be concentrated around Morehead, with prominent amenities including multiple art events and attractions. County officials and asset managers should coordinate to create integrated travel itineraries and packages to attract visitors and encourage them to extend their stay in Rowan County.

3. Active trail sports are a big draw to Rowan County with particular attention to mountain biking, hiking, ATV’s and equestrians due to the overall quality of the landscape and management principles of Daniel Bo

4. Coordinate with Kentucky Mountain Biking Association and relevant trail sport interest groups, to identify priority projects to enhance trails as recommend

5. Interstate 64 and Highways 60 and 32 are major corridors and access points in the county. Campaign signage and information kiosks should be strategically placed to provide a sense of arrival and travel information.

6. Cave Run Lake is clearly a gateway to Rowan County from the southwest and features excellent multi-day opportunities, as well as day trips.

7. Cultural and outdoor attractions in Morehead appeal to active travelers seeking good day-trip options and alternative activities to the more intense adventure sports.

8. Position Rowan County as an essential element for tour ibiking, lake sports, hiking, ATV’s trails, equestrian riders, and wildlife viewing.

9. Actively participate in coordination efforts for regional goal setting and marketassociated with the “Kentucky Adventure Terrain – Nature’s Playground” branding campaign.

WOLFE COUNTY 1. Wolfe County includes and borders with some of the most notable rock climbing venues of

North America in the Red River Gorge National Geological Area and neighboring Natural Bridge State Resort Park. Wolfe County, along with Powell County, can become most renowned for the world-class rock clileaders should continue to coordinate with park managers and private facilities/services targeting to maintain a sustainable schedule of events that bring greater exposure to the

2. Wolfe County tourism is concentrated between Campton, Pine Ridge and Torrent. Prominent attractions are predominantly centered on natural features and areas within the Red River National Geological Area (RRNGA). Red River NGA and Natural Bridge State Resort Park

113

d during their visit. County and tourism officials should coordinate with park managers to create integrated travel itineraries and packages to attract visitors and

ns with neighboring Breathitt County are suggested to be explored.

mmended.

and information kiosks should be strategically placed to provide a sense of arrival and travel information.

lfe County.

roviding quality adventure tourism

clude a rock climbing,

associated with the “Kentucky Adventure Terrain – Nature’s Playground” branding campaign.

Parkway as an official “gateway” to eastern Kentucky’s adventure terrain, in conjunction with

and the. Suggested day and multi-day hikes should be available for interested tourists to research prior to an

encourage them to extend their stay in Powell County.

3. Active trail sports can become a big draw to Wolfe County with particular attention to hiking, mountain biking, and ATV’s. Potential trail connectio

4. Coordinate with Mountain Trail Development Coalition and relevant trail sport interest groups, to identify priority projects to enhance trails as reco

5. The Bert T. Combs Mountain parkway and National Scenic Byway, and Highways 15 and 119 are major corridors and access points in the county. Campaign signage

6. Paddle sport opportunities are very popular on the Red River and should contribute to multi-day packages for visitors to Wo

7. Torrent Falls and True North Outfitters are among the most prominent private facilities and services operating in Wolfe County, currently pexperiences.

8. Position Wolfe County as an essential element for tour itineraries that inpaddle sports, hiking, mountain biking, equestrian riding, ATV’s trails, and wildlife viewing.

9. Actively participate in coordination efforts for regional goal setting and marketing initiatives

10. Wolfe County should establish and maintain the intersection of KY 15 and the Mountain

the future planned heritage monument.

114

ing platform. “Kentucky Adventure

Currently, however, there exist multiple constraints or obstacles for the region to bring that potential

• a need for additional tourism service amenities (accommodations and dining predominantly)

o support regional tourism development

analysis of what has worked for similar regions around the country. In summary, eastern Kentucky can overcome the constraints indicated above through concerted and

CONCLUSION Eastern Kentucky has tremendous opportunities and assets for leveraging a successful and sustainable adventure tourism industry. The terrain of the region provides both the character and identity PROS recommends for utilizing as the foundation of a creative marketTerrain – Nature’s Playground,” is a suggested platform that was inspired by the uniqueness of the area and the imagery evoked from the sense of adventure to be found in the mountains of eastern Kentucky.

success to fruition. These include: • workforce readiness and reliability

• historical territorialism among counties and jurisdictions for tourism markets • a lack of reliable capital to pursue long-term facility development • a lack of regional base data from which to plan improved visitation • no sense of regional connectivity for the visitor • disjointed marketing and promotional campaigns • little or no sustainable funding mechanism t• major trail venues are still in planning and development phases

This report addresses these issues from both a unique perspective of what will work for this region, as well as a comparative

coordinated efforts that provide a consistent regional message to the targeted visitors and maintains sustained funding to support the regional effort. The region does not have the luxury to wait patiently for the benefits of a successful tourism initiative to materialize, but must work feverishly from the beginning to train and motivate the workforce, attract private businesses and investors, and secure the support of multiple public agencies to fund the necessary adventure tourism venues and campaigns required to sustain the brand of “Nature’s Playground.”

115

ICES

3. SUGGESTED TRAVEL ITINERARIES

APPEND

1. MONITORED SPECIES IN EASTERN KENTUCKY 2. ESTIMATED ECONOMIC IMPACT BY SPENDING PROFILE

4. CREATIVE DESIGN CONCEPTS

116

PPENDIX 1

e Pike County urism Document 04:

Tall Hairy Groovebur Brook Saxifrage Allegheny Chinkapin American Golden Saxifrage Rock Harlequin Nodding Mandarin Variable-leaved Heartleaf Loesel’s Twayblad Threadfoot Rock Skullcap Squarrose Goldenrod Narrow-leaved Meadow-sweet Northern White Cedar Painted Trillium September Elm Gastropods Sculpted Glyph Virginia Bladetooth

Crustacean Crayfish Insects Ashcamp Cave Beetle Fishes American Brook Lamprey Northern Madtom Longhead Darter Longnose Dace Birds Sharp-shinned Hawk Bachmann’s Sparrow Mammals Indiana Bat Communities Appalachian Mesophytic Forest

AMONITORED SPECIES IN EASTERN KENTUCKY

The following monitored species are also present in the region as indicated in thMaster To completed in February 20 Plants Allegheny-Vine

117

A

Economic Impact of theund Profile -

Total Est.Revenues/Sales

% of Revenues to Remain in

Total Rev/SalesCapture

Output EarningsEmploy

M S Lower Bo by Categ y in Local Region Local Region

d byLocal Region

(Dollars)<1>

(Dollars)<2>

ment/$ales

(Jobs)<3>

Hotel/Mo 6,474,883 100.0% 6 83,465 2,284,339 113.3 Bed and 1,870,522 100.0% 1 08,557 659,920 32.7 Camping 2,062,754 100.0% 2 2,766,359 727,740 36.1 Other Re 5,634,587 100.0% 5 7,556,544 1,987,882 98.6 Restaura 18,043,339 75.0% 13 18,960,392 5,048,977 346.8 Groceries 6,002,936 20.0% 1 1,660,652 512,411 24.3 Gas and 3,844,929 0.0% - - Other ve ,028 60.0% 159,545 7.6 Local tra ,203 75.0% 05,152 145,446 44,879 2.1 Admissio 4,009,247 90.0% 3 4,836,235 1,262,552 70.2 Clothing 1,203,465 25.0% 8,410 6.1 Sporting 7,493 40.0% 2,486 9.1 Souvenir 00,763 85.0% 3 1,632,787 77.3 Total Ann 55,538,147 39$ 7 14,641,926$ 824.2

Final Demand(Impact of Estimated Tourism)

ortelBreakfast

,474,883 8,6 ,870,522 2,5

fees ,062,754 34,587 ntal/Condo

nts and bars ,6,532,505,200,587, take-out food/drinks

oil - - 73,817 517,063 hicle expenses 623

nsportation 140 3 1

ns & fees ,608,323

goods 300,866 416,158 12 450,997 623,819 19 1,12

s and other expenses 4,5 ,825,648 5,291,637 ual Spending $ ,440,639 53,966,32$

Econom Average Spending Profile - by Categ

Total Est.Revenues/Salesin Local Region

% of Revenues to Remain inLocal Region

Total CapLoca

Outputollars)<1>

Earnings(Dollars)

<2>

Employment(Jobs)/$M

Sales<3>

Hotel/Mo 7,617,509 100.0% 5,841 2,687,457 133.3 Bed and 2,200,614 100.0% 1,243 776,377 38.5 Camping 2,426,769 100.0% 42.5 Other Rent 6,628,925 100.0% 6 116.0 Restaur s and bars 21,227,458 75.0% 15,920,594 22,306,344 5,939,973 408.0 Groceries, take-out food/drinks 7,062,277 20.0% 1,412,455 1,953,708 602,836 28.6 Gas and oil 4,523,446 0.0% - - - - Other vehicle expenses 732,974 60.0% 439,784 608,309 187,700 8.9 Local transportation 164,944 75.0% 123,708 171,113 52,799 2.5 Admissions & fees 4,716,761 90.0% 4,245,085 5,689,688 1,485,355 82.5 Clothing 1,415,841 25.0% 353,960 489,598 151,070 7.2 Sporting goods 1,326,462 40.0% 530,585 733,905 226,454 10.7 Souvenirs and other expenses 5,295,015 85.0% 4,500,763 6,225,455 1,920,926 91.0 Total Annual Spending 65,338,996$ 46,400,752$ 63,489,797$ 17,225,795$ 969.6

inal Demandf Estimated Tourism)

ic Impact of the

ory tel

Rev/Salestured by

egion (D

l R7,61 7,509 10,21 2,200,614 2,95 Breakfast

fees al/Condo

2,426,769 3,254,540 856,164 ,628,925 8,890,052 2,338,685

ant

F(Impact o

PPENDIX 2 OMIC IMPACT BY SPENDING PROFILE

ESTIMATED ECON

118

Economic Impact of the Higher Bound Profile - by Category

Total Est.Revenues/Salesin Local Region

% of Revenues to Remain inLocal Region

Total Rev/SalesCaptured byLocal Region

Output(Dollars)

<1>

Earnings(Dollars)

<2>

Em(Jo

Hotel/Motel 11,045,388 100.0% 11,045,388 14,812,970 3,896,813 Bed and Breakfast 3,190,890 100.0% 3,190,890 4,279,302 1,125,746 Camping fees 3,518,815 100.0% 3,518,815 4,719,083 1,241,438 Other Rental/Condo 12,311,926 100.0% 12,311,926 16,511,524 4,343,647 Restaurants and bars 32,252,533 75.0% 24,189,399 33,891,768 9,025,065 Groceries, take-out food/drinks 10,976,661 20.0% 2,195,332 3,036,583 936,968 Gas and oil 7,172,629 0.0% - - - Other vehicle expenses 1,136,448 60.0% 681,869 943,161 291,022 Local transportation 275,987 75.0% 206,991 286,309 88,344 Admissions & fees 7,330,210 90.0% 6,597,189 8,842,213 2,308,357 Clothing 2,175,696 25.0% 543,924 752,356 232,147 Sporting goods 2,070,642 40.0% 828,257 1,145,645 353,500 Souvenirs and other expenses 8,168,678 85.0% 6,943,376 9,604,078 2,963,433 Total Annual Spending 101,626,503$ 72,253,356$ 98,824,991$ 26,806,478$

Final Demand(Impact of Estimated Touris

ploymentbs)/$M

Sales<3>

193.3 55.8 61.6

215.4 619.9

44.4 -

13.8 4.2

128.3 11.0 16.7

140.4 1,504.8

m)

119

PPENDIX 3

UGGESTED TRAVEL ITINERARIES he experiences and opportunities present in the region can be captured in the following suggested

travel itineraries. Expanding upon the positioning of “Kentucky’s Adventure Terrain – Nature’s layground”, PROS identified three categories of experience that vary by degree or physical intensity

of adventure:

• Extreme Adventures • Majestic Nature • Appalachian Spirit

Suggested travel itineraries are provided as recommendations of how various experiences can be integrated involving multiple counties, and in most cases multiple adventure activities. These suggested itineraries are not exhaustive; some have seasonal restrictions and ultimately should be refined prior to promotion to potential visitors. It is strongly recommended that each county compile suggested travel itineraries that include either experiences exclusive to that county, and/or integrate opportunities in neighboring counties. These suggested itineraries should be a prominent component in the regional branding and promotional campaign supporting adventure tourism in eastern Kentucky.

XTREME ADVENTURES xtreme adventures involve experiences and activities that typically require ownership of personal and chnical equipment specific to adventure pursuits, previous experience, and competence to participate physically demanding adventure activities.

OUNTAIN LAKE TRAIL ADVENTURE Length: 3 to 5 days Intensity: Extreme Adventure Equipment: Mountain bike, helmet, backpack, need for speed Counties: Bath, Rowan, Powell, Wolfe Day 1: Cave Run Lake mountain bike trails Day 2: Cave Run Lake water sports Day 3: Cave Run Lake mountain bike trails Day 4: Red River Gorge / Natural Bridge trails Day 5: Torrent Falls Adventure

A

ST

P

EEtein M

120

G ADVENTURE 3 to 5 days

ack, sense of adventure

Red River Gorge / Natural Bridge trails ater sports

lay City attractions

Length: 3 to 5 days

HITEWATER ADVENTURE s

Adventure

Day 1: Paddle Russell Fork Gorge d attractions

EAS KY

ent: ike, various helmets, bragging rights s:

rg entertainment biking trails

Day 4: Cave Run Lake water sports Day 5: Natural Bridge State Resort Park Day 6: Red River Gorge climbing areas Day 7: Slade / Stanton / Clay City attractions

RED RIVER CLIMBINLength: Intensity: Extreme Adventure Equipment: Climbing gear, helmet, backpCounties: Powell, Wolfe, Bath Day 1: Red River Gorge climbing areas Day 2: Red River Gorge climbing areas Day 3: Day 4: Cave Run Lake wDay 5: Slade, Stanton or C

ATV ADVENTURE

Intensity: Extreme Adventure Equipment: ATV, fuel, helmet, desire to get dirty Counties: Harlan, Perry, Knott Day 1: Black Mountain Recreation Park Day 2: Harlan County ATV trails Day 3: Hazard entertainment and attractions Day 4: Knott County Adventure Park System Day 5: Knott County Adventure Park System / Hazard attractions

W

Length: 2 to 3 dayIntensity: ExtremeEquipment: Kayak, paddle, helmet, whitewater roll Counties: Pike

Day 2: Elkhorn City entertainment anreaks In k Day 3: B terstate Par

UCTERN KENT EPIC ADVENTURE

Length: 5 to 7 days tensity: Extreme Adventure In

Equipm Climbing gear, mountain bolfe, Powell Countie Pike, Floyd, Bath, W

Day 1: Raft or kayak Russell Fork

Park / PrestonsbuDay 2: Jenny Wiley State ResortDay 3: Cave Run Lake mountain

121

NTURE

reathitt, Wolfe, Powell

ate Park / Elkhorn City restonsburg entertainment

g / Hazard entertainment

ay 6: Red River Gorge climbing areas / Stanton / Clay City attractions

MA EMa breathtaking landscapes and rugged terrain of the Appalachian Mountains, as well as the richness of wildlife and natural features. This cate trav vities that do not typically require ownership of personal and technical equipment specific to adventure pursuits, does not require previous experience, and is not as phy nture activities.

OUT ERN s

ture culars, camera, personal tranquility

athitt

berl National Historic Park / Middlesboro / Pine Mountain State Resort Park e Park / Little Shepherd Trail

esort Park

E

Knott, Perry, Harlan, Letcher

ical Area

Falls

EASTERN KENTUCKY FAMILY ADVELength: 5 to 7 days Intensity: Extreme Adventure Equipment: Family of four, tireless pursuit of adventure Counties: Pike, Floyd, Knott, B Day 1: Raft Russell Fork / Breaks InterstDay 2: Jenny Wiley State Resort Park / PDay 3: Dewey Lake water sports Day 4: Knott County wildlife viewinDay 5: Natural Bridge State Resort Park DDay 7: Slade

JESTIC NA entucky given the

TURjestic nature experiences abound in eastern K

gory of el involves experiences and acti

sically demanding as extreme adve

S HEAST KENTUCKY NATURE ADVENTURE Length: 3 to 5 dayIntensity: Majestic NaEquipme Walking shont: es, hat, binoCounties: Bell, Harlan, Letcher, Perry, Knott, Bre Day 1: Cum and Gap Day 2: Harlan / Kingdom Come StatDay 3: Cumberland / Bad Branch Falls / WhitesburgDay 4: Hazard / Knott County wildlife viewing Day 5: Buckhorn Lake State R

HATFIELD – MCCOY NATURE ADVENTUR

Length: 5 to 7 days Intensity: Majestic Nature

t: amera, sense of beauty Equipmen Walking shoes, hat, binoculars, counties: Pike, Floyd, Magoffin, Wolfe, Powell, Breathitt, C

Day 1: Breaks Interstate Park / Elkhorn City Day 2: Pikeville / Prestonsburg

k Day 3: Jenny Wiley State Resort ParDay 4: Natural Bridge State Resort Park

gDay 5: Red River Gorge National GeoloDay 6: Hazard / Knott County wildlife viewing Day 7: Kingdom Come State Park / Bad Branch

122

g nture

CA NAength: 3 to 5 days

ajestic Nature

AP PIRApp t is cle ld-McCoy sites in Pike ivil Wa ites along the Country Music Hig f travel involves etech uipm t require previous experience, and is not as phy ema

ATFIELD-MCCOY ADVENTURE

Spirit camera, fascination with Appalachian lore

ay 1: Pikeville / Hatfield-McCoy driving tour Wiley State Resort Park

ildlife viewing d Branch Falls

RED RIVER GORGE NATURE ADVENTURE Length: 3 to 5 days Intensity: Majestic Nature Equipment: Walkin shoes, hat, binoculars, camera, sense of adveCounties: Powell, Wolfe, Menifee Day 1: Red River Gorge National Geological Area Day 2: Natural Bridge State Resort Park Day 3: Torrent Falls Day 4: Frenchburg / Broke Leg Falls / Indian arch Day 5: Clifty Wilderness

VE RUN TURE ADVENTURE LIntensity: MEquipment: Walking shoes, hat, binoculars, camera, easy-going nature Counties: Bath, Rowan, Morgan, Magoffin, Johnson, Floyd Day 1: Cave Run Lake State Park Day 2: Cave Run Lake trails / Morehead Day 3: Paintsville / Paintsville Lake State Park Day 4: Prestonsburg / Jenny Wiley State Resort Park Day 5: Jenny Wiley State Resort Park

PALACHIAN S IT alachian s ri ar and present throughout eastern Kentucky, County to C r battlegrounds sprinkled in the hills and the s

pi from the Hatfie

hway, the region boasts the richness and legacy of traditional Appalachian sprit. This category ownership of personal and xperiences and activities that do not typically require o

nical eq ent specific to adventure pursuits, does nosically d nding as extreme adventure activities.

HLength: 3 to 4 days Intensity: AppalachianEquipment: Walking shoes, hat, Counties: Pike, Floyd, Knott, Perry, Letcher DDay 2: Prestonsburg / Kentucky Opry / JennyDay 3: Hazard / Knott County wDay 4: Kingdom Come State Park / Ba

123

agoffin, Floyd

ns Kentucky Opry / Jenny Wiley State Resort Park

S HEAST RN KEN UCKY APPALACHIAN ADVENTURE

: Spirit amera, desire to have fun

ay 1: Cumberland Gap National Historic Park coln Library and Museum / P-38 Museum

Knott County wildlife viewing Shop

O N PA VENTURE Length: 3 to 4 days

lachian Spirit

c Site and Environmental Learning Center

ENTURE

on House

MOREHEAD APPALACHIAN ADVENTURE Length: 3 to 4 days Intensity: Appalachian Spirit Equipment: Walking shoes, hat, camera, art appreciation Counties: Rowan, Bath, Morgan, M Day 1: Cave Run Lake State Park Day 2: Morehead art and cultural attractioDay 3: Prestonsburg /Day 4: Floyd County wildlife viewing

OUT E TLength: 3 to 4 days Intensity AppalachianEquipment: Walking shoes, hat, cCounties: Bell, Harlan, Perry, Knott DDay 2: Middlesboro / Abraham LinDay 3: Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park /Day 4: Hazard / HIndman / Marie Stewart Crafts

M UNTAI RKWAY APPALACHIAN AD

Intensity: AppaEquipment: Walking shoes, hat, camera, relaxed state of mind Counties: Estill, Powell, Wolfe, Menifee Day 1: Irvine / Snug Hollow Farm / Artrageous / McClanahan’s Gallery Day 2: Red River Gorge National Geological Area Day 3: Torrent Falls Day 4: Historic Frenchburg / Gladie Creek Histori

COUNTRY MUSIC HIGHWAY ADVLength: 3 to 4 days Intensity: Appalachian Spirit Equipment: Walking shoes, hat, camera, desire to be off the beaten path Counties: Martin, Johnson, Floyd, Pike Day 1: Historic Inez / Himler House / Paul JohnsDay 2: Paintsville Lake State Park

ucky Science Center Day 3: Prestonsburg / Kentucky Opry / East KentDay 4: Pikeville / Hatfield-McCoy sites