Tourism, Resiliency, and Indicators for Post-Pandemic Planning (TRIP) – USDA NIFA funded
This project is led by Doug Arbogast, West Virginia University Extension, with Extension and research collaborators including National Extension Tourism Design Team (NETDT), Penn State, University of Vermont, University of New Hampshire, and the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development. Project team members bring a unique combination of research and analytical skills in addition to extensive industry experience supporting rural tourism destinations and providing innovative programs to guide sustainable management strategies.
The long-term goal of this project is to fully leverage the resources of the Land-Grant Universities to enhance the sustainability and resiliency of rural destinations by providing research-based information and a destination management framework for rural gateway destinations seeking to address post-COVID 19 opportunities and challenges. Project team members will work closely with destination leadership in targeted case study regions to accomplish the project objectives which include:
- Using quantitative and qualitative research methods to identify and analyze economic, social, and environmental indicators for sustainable rural tourism (across all US counties and in three case study regions).
- Deliver Extension programming in targeted case study regions
- Using the research-based insights to develop sustainable rural tourism management frameworks
- Assess change over time and associated impacts through an indicator monitoring platform
Funding Agency: USDA NIFA
Principal Investigator: Douglas Arbogast
Lead Institution: West Virginia University
Accompanying Institution(s): Texas A&M University, Penn State, University of Vermont, University of New Hampshire
Start Date: January, 2022 End Date: December, 2025