| "We need to help diversify our tourism base to protect the economy, protect the environment, and help address environmental issues ranging from harmful algal blooms to climate change." | |
| Melinda Huntley, Ohio Sea Grant Extension |
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Intentionally increasing the number of tourists visiting natural areas may cause alarm for some coastal resource managers worried about the unintended harm that can come from environmental resources being “loved to death” by too many visitors.
Coastal resource managers in Ohio, however, are finding that making tourism a primary program focus is sustainably increasing visitors’ economic impact in the region while preserving the special places and stories that make Lake Erie unique.
“The tourism arena is a huge segment of Ohio’s economy, and Lake Erie is the driving force,” says Jeff Reutter, director of the Ohio Sea Grant College Program and Stone Laboratory. “There was not only an opportunity—there was a need for us to get involved.”
Ohio Sea Grant hired a full-time extension tourism director to focus on tourism programs, partnerships, capabilities, and services to benefit the public.
The intent of the tourism program, says its director, Melinda Huntley, one of eleven Ohio Sea Grant extension agents, is to create sustainable tourism that helps communities become more resilient in these changing times.
“Sustainable tourism diversifies the economy and gives a dollar value to the resources that make our communities unique,” Huntley says. “We need to help diversify our tourism base to protect the economy, protect the environment, and help address environmental issues ranging from harmful algal blooms to climate change.”
Through the Ohio Sea Grant Extension Tourism Program and partner efforts, $4.8 million has been awarded for environmental protection and restoration projects, environmental-based tourism activities, such as birding, have been successfully marketed while simultaneously easing visitor impacts, and the public’s awareness of environmental issues has been increased.
“I think every coastal program should be involved,” says Reutter. “If you really look at tourism’s portion of the business economy, it’s huge.”
Big Business
Lake Erie tourism in Ohio accounts for more than $10.7 billion in revenue, employing 119,100 Ohio residents and generating more than $750 million in state and local tax dollars.
In the U.S., travel and tourism is a $1.6 trillion industry, according to the Travel Industry Association of America. Travel and tourism generates $110 billion in tax revenue for local, state, and federal governments, and the travel and tourism industry is one of the country’s largest employers, directly generating 7.5 million jobs.
Outdoor activities are third on the list of top activities for domestic travelers, and in 2004 all top-10 destination states for traveling U.S. residents were coastal states.
Interrelated
“Tourism and the environment are so interrelated,” says Huntley. “Tourism is viewed as an economic driver, but in reality it has the ability to impact and be impacted by environmental quality. That’s the connection that’s often overlooked.”
Reutter asks, “Don’t we have a responsibility as scientists—as educators—to try to inform people of the importance of our natural resources, why they are valuable, the issues that we are working on, and the value in protecting the resources?
“If we can simply change our style of presentation and try to do it in a fun and enjoyable way, now we’re talking tourism development and we’re enhancing the tourism experience.”
Comprehensive Approach
In 2006, Ohio Sea Grant hired Huntley, who has an extensive tourism background, and partnered with Lake Erie Coastal Ohio, Inc., a nonprofit organization representing the tourism bureaus of seven Lake Erie counties.
“The tourism industry is a great partner that is often overlooked,” Huntley says. “These are people who know how to creatively do marketing and promotion with very little money. They can help us emphasize why our coastal resources are important and unique.”
Responding to Change
Huntley says tourism is also important to include in broader environmental discussions, such as algal blooms, and precipitation and water level changes resulting from climate change.
“What happens to the tourism industry and tax revenues and jobs if water quality takes a turn for the worse?” Huntley asks. “This is one of the primary reasons we don’t operate in isolation and are doing a comprehensive program.”
Huntley adds, “The biggest thing we can do to help coastal communities is to help make sure the market base is diversified and that they are not focusing on just one type of visitor. We need to help diversify the tourism economy now so if there are environmental changes, communities are not scrambling because they’ve lost their tax base.”
Diversifying Resources
One of the many examples of sustainable tourism that Huntley points to on an eight-page list of program successes is the partnership’s creation of a regional approach to promote birding.
Huntley notes that a particular Lake Erie marsh is considered one of the top birding destinations in North America. The partners are creating a website and map identifying 60 birding hot spots along Lake Erie and coordinated a meeting of birding experts and resource managers to enhance the promotion of birding along the shoreline.
“We are able to spread the impact so the effect on that one spot isn’t as much,” Huntley says. “People visiting multiple destinations create a much more manageable situation.”
Businesses traditionally focused on current precipitation levels, such as winter ski resorts, are being encouraged to provide resources for birders. Amenities, such as boardwalks, have also been built in some areas to help minimize damage to resources.
“When you work together, you can accomplish multiple goals,” Huntley says.
Building Leadership
In addition, Huntley has been working with four other Ohio coastal resource programs to develop a comprehensive strategic plan for outreach, and has worked with partners to develop a leadership academy for tourism officials to help educate and encourage them to become more involved in environmental organizations.
Huntley says, “I firmly believe that people protect what they value, and they value what they know and have had experience with. Getting people out to the resources encourages that bond that will help them justify protecting the resources in the future.”
For more information on the Ohio Sea Grant Extension Tourism Program, go to www.coastalohio.com. For more information, contact Melinda Huntley at (419) 609-0399, or huntley@coastalohio.com, or Jeff Reutter at (614) 292-8949, or reutter.1@osu.edu.
