Rural Tourism Lab
The Rural Tourism Lab leverages Land-Grant University academic faculty and students to provide the research support necessary to help destination leaders measure and monitor the economic, social, and environmental impacts of recreation and tourism to make informed decisions.
Collaborating Academic faculty and students at participating Universities and industry consultants supporting the Lab have expertise in rural economics, qualitative and quantitative data analysis, image/branding, big data, GIS applications, mobile data analytics, and secondary data analysis. They will collaborate with local destination leadership to identify local data needs in order to provide the actionable, data-driven business intelligence rural destinations need to develop effective local strategies for sustainable tourism and monitor impacts over time.Research Methods include:
Visitor Preference and Resident Sentiment
- Visitor Profile Survey (online and/or on-site intercept)
- Resident Attitudes Toward Tourism survey
Community Data Analysis (secondary data)
- Sustainable tourism indicators
- Economic, demographic, recreation and tourism trends
- Economic Impact (destination and/or event)
Spatial Analysis
- Recreation Features and Tourism Amenity Asset mapping and inventory
- Recreation and Amenity needs gap analysis.
- Opportunity Mapping
- Site Design and Visualization
- Web dashboard development