New Opportunities for Community Based Tourism: Public-Private Partnerships

Many communities thrive by utilizing tourism as a major economic contributor to their operating budget through visitor stays and related services. Those communities situated in areas with unique nature-based opportunities... [ view full abstract ]

Many communities thrive by utilizing tourism as a major economic contributor to their operating budget through visitor stays and related services. Those communities situated in areas with unique nature-based opportunities nearby often rely on public lands and trail systems to attract and serve their guests, while those without these benefits have historically been left out. However, a recent proactive approach to community based tourism has evolved whereupon private land owners are forming partnerships to designate, design, and manage their own trail systems in order to attract nature-based tourism enthusiasts.

The Kingdom Trails Association (KTA) in northeastern Vermont is a model success story for this type of collaborative effort and can offer valuable information for other communities wishing to create similar tourism opportunities in their region. KTA provides 110 miles of well-designed trails encompassing seven square miles, on 53 different private land owner parcels and two public sites. What began as an idea between stakeholders in 1990, now draws over 60,000 visitors a year, has an economic impact of more than $5.6 million to the community, paved the way for tourism into the region, and is entirely self-funded.

Through in-depth interviews with key informants, local business owners, and community members, a protocol for the “steps to success” were developed to help other communities with similar goals formulate or expand their own tourism opportunities. Information was gathered and themes were extracted and developed into the operating protocol which was then reviewed and edited with input from the key informants. Additionally, data from a survey of over 1000 trail users offers demographic information to better understand the user population, their motivations, and experience.

The presentation has three main goals. One is to tell the story of how one community formulated public-private partnerships to create a nature-based tourism market in a unique way that meets growing needs and challenges in the tourism industry. A second goal is to provide a clear process map that other communities can use as a guide to achieve similar results. The third is to highlight common pitfalls and important strategies that should ensure success.