The Economic Impacts of Adventure Tourism on a Rural Community

Economic impact studies in adventure tourism help to communicate and quantify the positive effects of activities, projects, and events on a local community. Some of these positive effects include an increase in employment, wages, local tax revenue, and revenue for different local industries. Economic impact studies have measured the impacts of tourists when participating in events or outdoor leisure activities, but few prior studies have measured the economic impact of outdoor adventure sports travel. To fill this research gap, the authors conducted an economic impact study of adventure sports participants (whitewater rafters) to the Ocoee River region in Ocoee, TN.