Byway Conducts Own
Economic Impact Study

A byway organization secured a state economic development grant to develop and conduct an economic impact study for its byway.

Who/What/Where:

Seaway Trail, Inc. conducted a three-year economic impact study following a conversion study of readers of its annual travel guide, Journey magazine. More than 1500 consumers, representing nearly 5,000 travelers, registered for the Seaway Trail Road Scholar travel kit program that was designed to promote and track the direct economic impact of travelers on the 504-mile byway that parallels the Saint Lawrence Seaway, Lake Ontario, Niagara River and Lake Erie in New York State and Pennsylvania. Those registering for the program represented traveling groups of singles, seniors, couples, small families and groups of 10 to 60.

When:

The program began in June 1994 and ran through 1996.

How:

Seaway Trail, Inc. received a $32,000 regional economic development grant to underwrite the costs of the study. Announcement of the travel kit – economic impact study received widespread media attention, due in part to a press conference in the state capital with the two New York State tourism committee chairman becoming the kit’s first registered travelers.

To receive a travel kit, consumers first completed an information form that provided byway representatives with such data as the preferred mode of travel, e.g., RV or rental car; areas of interest, e.g., boat cruises, farm B&Bs, restaurants; and any specific restrictions that affected their travel experience, e.g, being unable to walk any distance or using a wheelchair. This personalized interactive dialogue feature of the study provided insights that might not have otherwise come to light in the study.

Participants received a 6” x 9” pocket folder with a variety of information sheets. The “So You’ve Decided to Become a Road Scholar” introductory sheet provided information on how to save money with the discounts offered by participating attractions and how to complete a “report card” with a return envelope included in the folder. The report cards were to be returned by June 1st of the following year for each of three years. The intro sheet also informed participants that a yearly drawing would take place on June 1st for a Seaway Trail vacation package. Those returning their report cards noting which sites they visited with receipts to document their lodging, meal, and other purchases by that date would be eligible for the drawing.

Other information sheets in the folder described participating sites and any discount offered there. Participating Seaway Trail member businesses were solicited for participation in 1994; new participating sites were noted in quarterly update mailings to travelers. An order form for the Seaway Trail series of travel guidebooks was also included in the kits.

Participants received promotional materials from participating attractions and other sites and a quarterly update mailing from Seaway Trail, Inc. The quarterly update included notice of new attractions, special events, such as the I Love New York Winter and Spring Festivals to be held on the byway in 1995, and other timely information.

The 1995 edition of Journey magazine included a feature article on “How to Use Your Road Scholar Travel Kit.” Travelers were invited to submit artwork, essays and photograph of their experiences for future use in the magazine.

The travel data was analyzed at the end of three years and a report was issued with statistics in the following categories: size of traveling party, preferred time of year to travel, geographical areas of interest, accommodations preferences, activities of interest, most popular attractions, a generalized traveler profile, and an itemized list of traveler comments on areas of interest for future travel on the byway. No response was received in the first year of the program. A subsequent redesign of the report card and travel planning time lapse are credited for prompting second- and third-year returns. Multipliers based on actual data were used to estimate the three-year revenues impact for the program.

Why Byway-Based Tracking?

• Provides an in-house or objective, if a consultant is hired, means of collecting and analyzing economic impact and other data specifically for the byway

• Can create an ongoing byway-consumer dialogue that provides valuable insights into traveler economic impact and interest areas. This data can be used to create future travel opportunities and packages that have a certain measure for meeting successful sales.

Resources:

Seaway Trail, Inc.