Agritourism and rural economic development.

• Author: Ramsey, Melissa

Indiana's Office of Tourism Development reports that the state's "tourism industry brings in approximately $6.7 billion in spending from 58 million leisure visitors." (1) According to Destination Indiana: Indiana Office of Tourism Development 2006 Strategic Plan, tourism is essential to Indiana's economy and is growing almost 5 percent annually, which is above the national average. Although tourism has the potential to impact rural economies, many do not have the local capacity or institutions to develop a sustainable tourism system. The basic acknowledgement of tourism's importance along with other quality of life factors is often not present, thus their importance is minimized in the rural mindset. However, rural communities should develop active municipal and county park boards that are willing to collaborate with other tourism development agencies to enhance the local/state economy through sustainable tourism that achieves economic benefits. Agritourism enterprises offer a wide range of benefits to tourists, such as convenient, secure, educational, and amusing family experiences for visitors who are international, national, and Midwestern residents. (2)

Public parks and recreation (PPR) plays a vital role in achieving individual, community, environmental, and economic benefits. Some underestimate the importance of PPR and its benefits because its impact is difficult to measure. However, rural municipal and county park boards can facilitate tourism (e.g., festivals and events, nature-based tourism, historical and cultural interpretation, and sports), which can have a significant impact on the state's economy. "In most cases, sports tournaments will generate a greater economic impact for local communities than special events and festivals, because most attendance at the latter (unless they are 'mega-events') is likely to be from locals." (3) Tourism development can be cultivated using attractions located in parks, whereas some parks are considered attractions by themselves. (4) "PPR can promote tourism by:

1. Hosting special events and festivals at park sites to attract tourists.

2. Using park sites for sports tournaments, which may lead to major sources of tourism and economic benefits.

3. Attracting tourists to large urban parks that have memorials, museums, zoos, cultural and heritage artifacts, and historical sites.

4. Attracting tourists to

parks with landscape planting and design that are recognized as living works of art." (5)

Rural Community Trends

Lt. Governor Becky Skillman stated that "with 75 percent of Indiana counties designated as 'rural,' we must cater to the needs of these communities and offer any assistance possible to successful and sustainable rural Indiana communities." (6) As of 2000, 29.2 percent of Indiana's population lived in rural areas, which is a 5.9 percent decrease since 1990. The population shifts result from a lack of in-migration and the increase of out-migration...