For years, adventurous people worldwide have been enjoying the great outdoors, doing everything from hiking in the Dominican Republic to white-water rafting in Costa Rica.
However, no longer are we hearing about adventurous vacations only in exotic places. U.S. destinations have become more aware of the value of visitors who want to "walk on the wild side."
Adventure tourism is a niche market that's been around for a long time, and Kentucky has been on the cutting edge of the industry. For years, we have offered unique adventure travel destinations. People all over Kentucky regularly raft, hike, climb, mountain bike, go caving and ride ATV's in the hills.
However, only now has it become trendy for states to market themselves as unique adventure travel destinations. In fact, some politicians are leading us to believe they invented adventure tourism in Kentucky, much as Al Gore once claimed to have invented the Internet. However, the good people of Eastern Kentucky have been pushing for an organized adventure tourism effort for many years.
I remember in the summer of 2004, during my first year as Commissioner of Tourism, Harlan County Judge Joe Grishop told me about some terrific ideas he had to build the ATV market in his county and throughout Eastern Kentucky. He also expressed concern about unregulated ATVs, safety issues and those who trespassed and damaged private property. While he realized there was a market for visitors, there also was a great deal of work that had to be done to make it a viable, safe and profitable form of tourism.
As we worked with him on this burgeoning industry, we also started identifying the other adventure activities that were available in all regions of Kentucky. What we found was a treasure trove of some of the most spectacular opportunities anywhere in America. But, we needed to harness it to give the industry greater power.
In December, 2005, then-Gov. Ernie Fletcher created the Kentucky Recreational Trails Authority to expand tourism opportunities for off-road trail activities including hiking, cycling, horseback riding and off -highway vehicle riding. That start, plus the tireless leadership of Kristen Branscum, who we were fortunate to have on our Department of Tourism team, led to additional legislation being passed this past session of the Kentucky legislature. Led by Senator Brandon Smith, this legislation strengthened the KRTA's ability to harness this great form of tourism through public/private partnerships.
The dreams of County Judge Grishop and others began to be realized through a joint study by the Department of Tourism and the Appalachian Regional Commission. The study analyzed the strengths, challenges, opportunities and potential for a viable, sustainable, adventure tourism industry in one 18-county region of Kentucky.
The study revealed some fascinating results. Adventure tourism can potentially have an estimated annual economic impact of up to $100 million a year, attract more than 130,000 new visitors a year, and create 1,500 new jobs. And all of this impact could be felt in just the 18 counties of Kentucky included in this first study. We helped those counties receive $623,000 in grant funding to help communities implement adventure tourism projects.
What's more encouraging was what was learned from the 18-county study can and should be adapted to all parts of Kentucky.
Adventure tourism is sometimes difficult to define. However, it truly can be "in the eyes and mind of the beholder". It is what the individual considers outdoor adventure. Bird watching, while not normally considered a strenuous activity, is indeed, adventure tourism. Since the average adventure travelers stay longer and travel in larger groups, all areas of Kentucky, including Lexington and the Bluegrass Region, must be prepared to take advantage of this explosive form of tourism.
MSNBC.com recently released its "10 Greatest U.S. Adventure Travel Vacations" with such entries as Riding the Tetons, Climbing Denali, North America's highest peak and Rafting the Grand Canyon. My opinion is biased, of course, but how can the adventure traveler beat climbing in Red River Gorge or caving in our great cave region?
If you're concerned that adventure travel creates havoc in the outdoors, let me share another quote with you. In 1980, Michael Kaye, who founded Costa Rica Expeditions, and is a true icon in the adventure tourism/ecotourism world had the following words of wisdom:
"Tourism should contribute to, rather than exploit (the land)ÖIt should be active rather than passive, emphasizing cultural exchange rather than mere sightseeing."
Twenty-eight years later, whether in Costa Rica or Kentucky, isn't that a wonderful way to look at enjoying the beautiful mountains, lakes, caves, trails and streams with which God blessed our Commonwealth? I certainly believe so.
Safe travels!
Randy Fiveash is a 31-year veteran of the Travel and Tourism Industry throughout the U.S. Most recently he served as Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Tourism. He can be reached at randyfiveash@insightbb.com.