Kinzua tourism a multi-million dollar industry
by Chris Lareau copyright 2006
by Chris Lareau copyright 2006
Contents of this website are Copyright 2005-2008 by Allegheny Almanac, except where noted.
Kinzua PENNSYLVANIA'S LAST WILDERNESS
| Just how much is tourism worth? While the Allegheny National Forest brought in more than $6.4 million directly to local governments last year through federal timber allowances, the economic impact of tourism to local businesses may rival that amount. But you won't read about it in local press releases or newspapers. You have to dig through Allegheny National Forest documents, do some math, then decide for yourself how much nature tourism is worth to the local economy. Six years ago, a report by the Allegheny National Forest headquarters in Warren, Pennyslvania showed that in 1998 it is estimated that $5.76 million was spent on tourist activities centering around Kinzua Lake and the Allegheny National Forest. The results were based on more than 2.4 million tourist visits that year. Every million visits was each worth about $2.4 million, according to the report. Doing the math, you come up with $5.76 million, which may be a conservative estimate because that averages out to less than $3 per visit, using the ANF's figures. Although the dollar amounts for timber and tourism are in the same ballpark, the people who get the money are different.. Federal timber receipts go directly to county governments while tourism dollars are collected by local businesses: gas stations, restaurants, bait shops, hotels, supermarkets, canoe liveries, and hunting and fishing services. Deep within a 1998 document published by the Allegheny Naitonal Forest ("Final Environmental Impact Statement For Threatened and Endangered Species of the Allegheny National Forest") a very careful reader can find valuable data that shows tourism is a multi-million dollar business to the local economy. The 1998 The Allegheny National Forest report states that "recreation activities contribute heavily to the economy of the four counties surrounding the ANF. Estimates of revenues generated by the local economy are directly related to the number of RVD's (which stands for Recreation Visitor Days) that occur on the ANF each year. By applying the multiplier coefficients generated in the Forest Plan analysis to 1998 RVD data we estimate that recreation use adds about $2,480,000 dollars annually to the local economy per each million RVD's of use." To find out how many visitors there were to the area, the reader must consult a table outside of the text portion of the report. It shows that there were 2.4 million visits, with each million worth $2.4 million, according to the report. The statement comes from a report filed with the federal government and can be reviewed at this link, a pdf file posted on the internet. article is Continued on next page |
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