Economic Impact of Trails in an Appalachian kentucky Trail Town

1. Skyllar Gayhart
J.J Kiboi
Louisa Summers
Peter Hackbert
Louisa Summers, Professor,d Human Performance
Berea City Council
August 18, 2020
Berea College
Louisa

2. Sky

3. Pinnacle Trails
• hikeky.com
• Hike Kentucky
•East Pinnacle
•Eagle’s Nest
•Buzzard’s Roost
•Devil’s Kitchen
•Indian Fort Lookout
•West Pinnacle
Anglin Falls
Sky

4. Methods
Sky

5. Sky

6. Sky

7. January
3,184
February
5,103
March
10,981 Adjusted for craft fair
April
566 Covid – 19
May
1,244
June
16,144
126% increase previous
June 2019
July
15,438
211% increase June
2019
August (2019)
5,159
September (2019)
7,666
October (2019)
11,146 Adjusted for Mountain Day
November (2019)
7,247
December (2019)
3,990
Total Infrared
Counts 87,868 (87,868/2) X 1.91 = 83, 913
83,913 annual
uses
2019/2020 Hiker Infrared Trail Counter
Louisa

8. 2017 2018 2019 2020
Gender
Female 49% 52% 52% 52%
Male 51% 48% 48% 48%
Age Group
Adults (18-55) 93.4% 89.2% 90.0% 90%
Older Adults (over 55) 6.6% 10.8% 10.0% 10%
In a group – yes 71% 48% 86.1% 87%
In a group – no 29% 52% 13.9% 13%
The Pinnacles at Indian Fort Mountain Hikers

9. 2017
(n=82)
2018
(n=186)
2019
(n= 228)
2020
(n = 186)
City of Berea 23% 31% 15% 24%
Within 50
Miles
15% 33% 40% 50%
In-State 57% 27% 33% 8%
Out of State 5% 9% 12% 17%
Where are they coming from 2017 – 2020?

10. *2020 Reported Itemized Spending
Total
(n=150
sample)
Food Gas Retail Lodging Activities Total
Mean $7.37 $3.13 $9.58 S9.92 $0.67 $36.19
Maximum 150.00 50.0 700.00 300.00 100.00 799.0

11. *2020- “Related to Today’s Trip How much
money will you spend?”
Out of
State
(n=31)
In-State
(n=16)
Hikers
within 50
miles
(n=92)
City of
Berea
Residents
(n=47)
Mean ($) $18.45
*
$6.81* $4.64 $3.68*
*p=0.000 *p=0.001

12. *All 4 Years - “How much money will you spend
in the City of Berea?”
Out of
State
(n=79)
In-State
(n=188)
Users
within 50
miles
(n=257)
City of
Berea
Residents
(n=157)
Mean ($) $18.38 $16.29 $8.16 $7.14

13. 2020 Potential Economic Impact
Annual Hikers - 83,913
Out-of-State: 83,913 X 0.17 X $18.45 = $263,193
Users within 50 miles: 83,913 X .50 X $4.64 = $194,678
In-State: 83,913 X 0.09 X $6.81 = $51,430
Louisa

14. 2020 Potential Economic Impact
Annual Hikers
Out-of-State: $263,193
Users within 50 miles: $194,678
In-State: $51,430
Total Economic Impact of Hikers = $509,301 in 2020
Louisa
**Total Economic Impact of Hikers = $639,018 in 2019

15. MISSED OPPORTUNITY
USERS WITHIN 50 MILES
Estimated Annual Hikers = 83,913 and 50% in this group
54% not spending any money ($0.00) on food
This segments average expenditure = $7.37 Food
22,656 hikers within 50 miles spend $7.37 on food = $166,978
Missed opportunity of $166,978
Louisa

16. Conclusions
1. 75% of the Pinnacles are non-Berea residents
2. Primary missed opportunity with in-state hikers within 50 miles
3. 54% of users from within 50 miles outside of Berea are spending
$0.00
4. Four (4)- Year expenditure average of $8.16 (Non-Covid)
Louisa

17. Economic Impact Project – Now
What?
Jose

18. Add Sign at the Back of the Pinnacles

19. Meet with business and city Leaders to discuss
drafts/prototypes for Sign on Pinnacle Gatehouse
• We are looking at ways to direct hikers as they leave Pinnacles.
• Experimented with incentives ($5.00 redemption) to come into
resturant
• QR codes worked because there was a person there to encourage
people to take surveys. This probably will not work for incentives.

20. Future directions-HACKBERT
• Two types of trails in Berea. Trails used by tourists and trails used by
residents
• We were clever enough to overlap a traveler destination trail on our
residential multise pathways.
• This report focuses on the out of towners. Hikers.

21. What’s next - How to use the assets (Pinnacle) and
help it benefit business retention.
• In arts crafts hotels and food.
• That is the challenge. Other towns smaller towns smaller than us have
figured it out. In our opinion, we have not figured how to blend/cross
sell creating a “WOW” experience for our guests.
• If you were to drop ‘listserves’ bloggers who come through Berea,
they get the uniqueness of this town. They talk about Fudge shop,
college, unique eateries, arts/crafts.

22. You need to figure it out?

23. Thank You to: Skyllar Gayhart and J.J. Kiobio and the
Department of Health and Human Performance for
supporting this research as well as EPG cohorts of
2017, 2018, and 2019.