Tourism infrastructure in rural counties in the state of Indiana: A regional analysis
Abstract
The primary goals of this research are to identify the groups of counties based on similarities of the infrastructure components, and to examine the correlations between the tourism infrastructure components and the economic impacts of tourism in rural counties. The important tourism infrastructure are categorized as primary components (attractions/facilities), secondary components (accommodations, food & beverage and retail), and additional components (transportation). The tourism economic impact measures used were tourism expenditures, and the direct economic impacts of tourism on employment, resident earnings, state and local government revenues. Data used were obtained from secondary sources. The result of the analysis identified four clusters of rural counties. These were named 'urban fringe tourism region,' 'suburban rural tourism region,' 'nature tourism region,' and 'outdoor recreation region.' While three of the attraction components (culture and developed component, nature-related tourism component, and amusement and outdoor recreation component) were positively correlated with the tourism economic impacts, only one additional component (town/city road transportation component) was positively correlated with the economic impact measures. The findings also supported the hypotheses that the secondary tourism infrastructure components were positively correlated with tourism economic impact measures. The results identified rural counties that have a potential for tourism development. Recommendations are made on the basis of the county potential and their tourism economic impacts on the economy. The implications of this study will benefit rural communities, state, federal and local agencies responsible for tourism development, academicians and private tourism suppliers. Future research directions are suggested in this area.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Nebel, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Recreation|Urban planning|Area planning & development
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