Music and Mountains: Increasing Natural Resource Recreation and Tourism in Paintsville, Kentucky

Major

Recreation and Park Administration Recreational Therapy

Department

Recreation and Park Administration

Degree

Graduate

Mentor

Michael J. Bradley; Ryan L. Sharp

Mentor Department

Recreation and Park Administration

Abstract

Kentucky is known for its expansive cave system and the Daniel Boone National Forest. In addition to this, Kentucky is also home to unique places to camp, fish, hike, and much more. Positioned near these resources is the community of Paintsville, Kentucky, a community poised to begin using outdoor recreation to create a sustainable outdoor recreation and tourism segment to their economy.

This study was facilitated to help inform Paintsville as they begin the decision-making process to augment their economy with outdoor recreation and tourism. The survey posed questions about how likely they would be to visit attractions in the Paintsville area and environmental attitudes. This study was done using on-site surveys that were obtained October 3-4, at a community event in Paintsville, Kentucky. Convenience sampling resulted in 600 completed survey over a two day sampling period.

When comparing how environmental attitudes relate to desired outdoor recreation opportunities, 50.3% of people surveyed said that nature helped define Eastern Kentucky’s national heritage and 34% agreed that it is very important to visit natural sites such as parks.

Survey results offer valuable insight, providing Paintsville an idea of where to invest various resources to improve their outdoor recreation economy and increase tourism to the community and region. Further research is necessary to determine feasibility of different types of recreation and tourism businesses in the area. In addition to this, further research is warranted to provide more insight related to marketing natural resource recreation and tourism for Paintsville.

Presentation format

Poster

Poster Number

24

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Music and Mountains: Increasing Natural Resource Recreation and Tourism in Paintsville, Kentucky

Kentucky is known for its expansive cave system and the Daniel Boone National Forest. In addition to this, Kentucky is also home to unique places to camp, fish, hike, and much more. Positioned near these resources is the community of Paintsville, Kentucky, a community poised to begin using outdoor recreation to create a sustainable outdoor recreation and tourism segment to their economy.

This study was facilitated to help inform Paintsville as they begin the decision-making process to augment their economy with outdoor recreation and tourism. The survey posed questions about how likely they would be to visit attractions in the Paintsville area and environmental attitudes. This study was done using on-site surveys that were obtained October 3-4, at a community event in Paintsville, Kentucky. Convenience sampling resulted in 600 completed survey over a two day sampling period.

When comparing how environmental attitudes relate to desired outdoor recreation opportunities, 50.3% of people surveyed said that nature helped define Eastern Kentucky’s national heritage and 34% agreed that it is very important to visit natural sites such as parks.

Survey results offer valuable insight, providing Paintsville an idea of where to invest various resources to improve their outdoor recreation economy and increase tourism to the community and region. Further research is necessary to determine feasibility of different types of recreation and tourism businesses in the area. In addition to this, further research is warranted to provide more insight related to marketing natural resource recreation and tourism for Paintsville.