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Thomas W. Blaine
Associate Professor
Ohio State University Extension
Myra Moss
East District Community Development Specialist
Reyna Q. Layton,
Human and Community Resource Development
Graduate Student |
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William T. Grunkemeyer
Co-Leader Community Development
Sharon Strouse,
Holmes County Community Development Agent
Ayuna Borisova-Kidder,
Dept of Ag, Environmental, and Development Econ.
Graduate Student
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Description:
The presentation presents results of a two -stage Extension research
process designed to elicit views of Ohio residents and travelers
along Ohio's Scenic Byways regarding their attitudes and experiences
on these 14 Byways located throughout the state. The first portion
involved a mail survey sent to the homes of 1200 Ohio residents
chosen at random. The second included an intercept survey where
researchers randomly selected respondents at various points along
each of the Byways. The findings reveal the awareness levels and
travel experiences of Ohio residents and Byway travelers in general
about the Byways. Awareness levels ranged from 52% for the most
popular Byway (Holmes County Amish Country Scenic Byway) to just
under 5% for several of the least commonly known Byways. Respondents
ranked visual amenities at the top of the list of characteristics
they most frequently associate with Byways, but also rank historical
and nature attractions as important characteristics they seek when
selecting Byways. Over three-fourths of respondents stated that
they would be more likely to travel a Byway if they had access to
a detailed activity guide. For each byway, we generated an equation
to predict/explain whether each respondent had visited the Byway.
The results consistently showed that geographic proximity and whether
the respondent highly valued the primary or secondary amenites that
Byway is noted for play a major role in determining visitation.
Respondents show willingness to expand their visits to the Scenic
Byways, especially if given access to travel information they can
use in making decisions. This led to specific recommendations we
made to Extension clientele interested in marketing Scenic Byways
as a means to achieve various local economic development goals.
We beieve this study can serve as a model to Extension educators
in other states who wish to assist members of the tourism industry
in getting to understand their customers' attitudes and travel behavior.
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