Recession hitting hard along the Appalachian Trail - San Francisco Chronicle

[WhiteBlaze]

Recession hitting hard along the Appalachian Trail San Francisco Chronicle Elsewhere in Appalachia, towns seeking to stay afloat by replacing dwindling blue-collar jobs with ones in the hospitality industry have been stymied by ...

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[Skyline]

The strong will survive in Appalachia. Some tourist-dependent businesses have even done quite well in 2009, despite a lesser 2008.

The key is to take advantage of one's location-location-location, and what specifically makes people want to visit there. Except for those in the most dire financial circumstances (and we should not forget they are out there), many Americans are still travelling. But instead of taking that grand vacation they might have taken three or four years ago, they're opting for shorter trips (perhaps multiple shorter trips) closer to home and less expensive.

The astute in the tourism industry have a rallying cry: "Many Americans feel they have a God-given right to their vacation, now let's give 'em one!". First, they fund robust advertising campaigns (often pooling private and public money) in good times and bad. They target the demographics and the geographic locations that they already know a big chunk of their visitors come from. They offer true value, especially on the activities and attractions that they know are most popular with tourists.

Tourist meccas within a half-day's drive of major urban areas can do quite well in rough times. That includes a lot of what we call Appalachia. Federal stimulus dollars that target the creation and/or improvement of venues likely to draw visitors—and big-league promotion of same—are beginning to reap the desired benefits. By next season, even more so.

Insofar as vacations go, we Americans have been fortunate that fuel prices stabilized, then dropped, in 2009.

Where I live, in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, and specifically in Luray and Page County just west of Shenandoah National Park, we're doing better than OK this year. Visitation is up, though per-person expenditures are down a bit. They're not booking as many high-dollar rooms, having a lot of four-star meals, or making so many big purchases while here. But they are definitely coming in droves, and spending more modestly than a few years back. Why? Great targeted marketing, and catering to the desires and needs of those who choose us as a destination. There are a growing number of reasons to visit here, and we are close enough to several big metro areas like DC, Baltimore, Richmond, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh to attract those who don't want to forgo a vacation.

Here and elsewhere, campgrounds have done particularly well if they are located close enough to major population centers but far enough to provide a true "getaway."

Having visitor bureaus and marketing experts on board that do continuous research into the habits of visitors and would-be visitors is key for any locale that wants to maximize its tourism revenue. When you know exactly who to target, you've won the first few battles in the war.

Tourism is a relatively clean industry that can have at least a seasonal impact on employment (often in a big way) and even economic recovery. Also: They visit, they spend, they leave some tax money behind, they go home. No need to build schools or provide a lot of the other amenities or services you would have to provide with an increase in permanent settlers.

How does this affect the AT? Well, anecdotally, there is evidence from a variety of sources that AT use is up this year all along the Trail, including Shenandoah National Park and beyond. ATC has reported its figures throughout the summer here on WB, various service providers concur that the numbers are up for their businesses, and increased numbers of hikers spending money in nearby towns helps their economies. From personal experience, I know there are more folks—and they are doing longer sections this year—who need the services of a shuttle provider.

So, it's not all gloom-and-doom in Appalachia regarding tourism despite what a website in San Francisco reports.

[Redfish]

North Georgia was not lacking in tourist dollars this weekend...I know I helped stimulate the economies of White and Lumpkin counties with about 1,000 other people

[TOW]

When I first began in my biz sales were great. Now I am lucky if I do 20% as an average on a good day as what I did back then. What helps me survive other than pure will power is on occasion I get to make some real money.........