Integrating Tourism and Recreation Travel with Transportation Planning and Project Delivery (2004)

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30 CHAPTER FOUR CONCLUSIONS The findings from this synthesis indicate that a successful and growing track record exists for integrating aspects of tourism–recreation travel into statewide and regional transportation planning and project delivery. Major in- roads have been established by nontransportation entities in articulating tourism-related travel needs and projects that would benefit their regions and in their successful ap- plication for transportation funding. Many of these tour- ism-related projects have been supported through the matching of state, local, and private-sector funds with monies provided through the federal Transportation En- hancement program. Adding to this growing record is the finding that many state departments of transportation (DOTs) are thinking more broadly and proactively about how their planning activities should be cognizant of and responsive to key cul- tural, historical, and recreational assets, as well as envi- ronments that are threatened (physically and economically) by unmitigated congestion related to visits by automobile. This larger view is helping to contribute to smart trans- portation designs and solutions that improve the visi- tor’s experience, bolster the economy, benefit resident travel in the region, and preserve the environment that visitors find attractive. Examples of successful collaboration among stake- holders, drawn from area businesses, citizen’s groups, and the public sector, ranging from local on up to federal agen- cies, add to this track record. Some of the issues that have brought these different groups together are congestion mitigation, state transportation improvement plan imple- mentation, and specific project undertakings. Tourism agencies, with emphasis on various visitor seg- ments in their marketing efforts, are identifying that some key differences and needs exist depending on whether you are an elderly visitor, recreation visitor or nature visitor, museum seeker, or heritage tourist, to name a few. This visitor segmen- tation is influencing how some DOTs are now trying to analyze and project future travel demand, which can better address where and how planned transportation resources get committed. A number of transportation agencies expressed the need for specific improvements in the availability and detail of tourism travel data. The most widely requested forms of data are tourism origin–destination patterns, followed by tourism visitor traffic counts and tourism industry em- ployment data. Data that reflect the seasonal characteristics of tourism travel and meaningful geographic regions will help to further the accuracy of modeling results for state DOT planning efforts. Finally, a few agencies have now started to conduct ob- jective evaluations to assess the extent to which tourism- related projects, programs, or interagency coordination proc- esses have been effective in achieving their desired tourism goals. These studies may be viewed as models for other state DOTs and tourism and recreation agencies to follow. It appears that for states and regions either endowed with long-established tourism–recreation assets or aware of the role that tourism plays in their economic vitality, the tourism–transportation dialogue and track record are far- ther along—the multi-agency process works well, a con- tinued dedication of DOT funding to improve data collec- tion and transportation modeling activities occurs, and the state DOT goes well beyond the expected roles of high- way signage and publishing visitor friendly road maps. They are responsible for a host of visitor information resources in- cluding websites, 511 traveler information programs, visitor publications such as Arizona Highways Magazine and Texas Highways (both award-winning DOT efforts), and involve- ment with visitor information centers. Future studies on the integration of tourism–recreation travel into transportation planning and project delivery ac- tivities need to explore several additional topics that would be useful for any stakeholder involved with tourism plan- ning and the role of transportation. • An inventory of projects undertaken, reflecting how different funding sources were assembled and any innovative leveraging of funds. • The types of unique partnerships that have been in- strumental to project funding and implementation or defining solutions (this synthesis only briefly touches on this topic). • The means to invigorate processes in states and re- gions that have yet to capitalize on dormant tourism– recreation assets as a means to increase economic development, starting at the local level. • Prioritizing transportation funding to include advancing the level of data collection (e.g., performance monitor- ing and visitor-related accident incidence) and modeling capabilities in those states and regions that have a clear need but have yet to advance in these areas.

31 • How state DOTs exert a role in the development of tourism–recreation signage that goes beyond tradi- tional DOT activities. • An understanding of how tourism travel demand af- fects the performance of a region’s transportation system and economy. • How transit service influences the development pat- tern within local economies. • Establishing performance measures for park transporta- tion systems and park visitor experiences. • The role of advanced transportation systems in na- tional parks and the impact on visitor experiences. The topic of tourism–travel integration into transporta- tion planning and project delivery is broad and there are many small accomplishments behind a single successful project—institutional success, process success, and success in the project’s definition, design, planning, funding, and ultimate delivery. The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) and its subsequent legisla- tion continues to create new challenges and opportunities for state DOTs and metropolitan planning organizations to advance and implement transportation systems. Over time, a region’s tourism export is a multi-faceted and mutable product. It is affected by factors within its broad industry, as well as by factors and resources in the public domain, issues regarding access flow from the dis- persion of attractions, the extent of trip-chaining, the markets from which visitors are drawn, the specific needs of different categories of visitors, and the adequacy of avail- able modes for connecting visitors to destinations. Issues regarding congestion to or around attractions affect the success of the tourism economy as well as resident commuter or personal trips. The opportunity to develop and promote a specific resource within a region that has cultural, historic, scenic, or recreational significance has the potential to add to the region’s economic development, al- though it may compete with other prospective land-use pressures or other regional economic development priori- ties. Tourism-related transportation planning and project delivery may appear different over time within a region as trends shape the economic emphasis of the area, the growth in traffic and change in its distribution and compo- sition, and the types of projects championed—from design and funding to implementation and operation. Across re- gions lessons can be learned from and adapted to meet the local context and process of partners investing in their tourism economy by addressing needed transportation- related improvements.