Microsoft Word 2007 ichrie conference Proceedings Final-Final 06-06-07. doc

CASE STUDY: FORECASTING ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF TRAVEL TO A REGIONAL DESTINATION 
There are a limited number of studies about the economic impacts and/or visitation forecasts of the 
parkways. This case study is intended to present a forecasted economic impact assessment (EIA) by using an I/O 
model and forecasts (including future visitations and projected spending profiles) for the Blue Ridge Parkway, USA. 
Background of the Blue Ridge Parkway 
The Blue Ridge Parkway is the first national parkway in the U.S., the most visited unit in the National Park System, 
and the longest scenic drive (469 miles) in the world (Chen, 1996; Blue Ridge Parkway, 2005). It begins at Rockfish 
Gap, Virginia and ends at Cherokee, North Carolina. The Parkway connects the Shenandoah National Park in 
Virginia to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee. The construction of the 
Blue Ridge Parkway started in September 1935. The Parkway was built in non-contiguous sections, and it was not 
completed until 1983 when the Linn Cove Viaduct was finished. Although the Linn Cove Viaduct was completed in 
1983, the adjoining 7-plus mile section along Grandfather Mountain was not opened for public use and travel until 
1987. 
To build the Parkway, landscape architects of the National Park Service and engineers of the Bureau of 
Public Roads worked together to create the unique corridor. In addition to the main corridor, a series of recreation 
areas were designed (Blue Ridge Parkway 2005). State highway departments for Virginia and North Carolina also 
played a major role in defining the Parkway route, working cooperatively with the National Park Services and 
Bureau of Public Roads. The Blue Ridge Parkway was designed to embody the variety of mountain cultures, 
wildlife, human resources, and historical images which are part of the Appalachian Mountains.
Western North Carolina and Virginia receive millions of visitors each year to the Blue Ridge Parkway. As the 
volume of visitors increases (from 11.7 million recreation visits in 1979 to nearly 17.9 million visitors in 2005), 
there has been substantial economic growth for communities adjacent to the Parkway. Past economic impact studies 
of the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia and North Carolina have quantified the average annual employment and 
estimated the average increase in per acre rural land values which occurs as a result of proximity to the Parkway 
(Williams and Knoeber, 1979; Williams, 1981). However, studies reported by Williams and Knoeber’s (1979) and 

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