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Rural Tourism
Visitor Surveys Help Communities Plan

Over 25 million people travel to Arizona each year. Many come to marvel at our outdoor beauty. They hike switchbacks down into the Grand Canyon, snap pictures of towering saguaros at sunset, and explore ancient Indian ruins. But do these tourists spend money in the rural communities that border Arizona's numerous attractions?

"Competition for the visitor dollar is fierce," says Julie Leones, an AREC extension economist who has studied rural tourism. Many small towns lack facilities and resources to compete with larger metropolitan areas such as Phoenix, Flagstaff, and Tucson. Despite this, rural areas are looking towards tourism to boost their local economies.

Williams, a historic town near the Grand Canyon, and the Globe-Miami region in Gila County are examples of rural areas cashing in on Arizona tourism. Leones and graduate student Valerie Ralph conducted visitor surveys in these communities in 1995 and 1996. The two studies were part of a larger tourism development project sponsored by Arizona Cooperative Extension in collaboration with the Arizona Department of Commerce and other state and federal agencies.

Mailback surveys were distributed to visitors in the communities over a one-year period. The goal was to provide a clear picture of the types of visitors coming to the area and to gather information on their expectations and spending patterns. Results were then used to analyze the impact tourism had on the local economy--how visitor dollars translated into jobs and income for local residents.

"The two communities are an interesting study in contrasts," Leones notes. Williams, known as the "Gateway to the Grand Canyon," is highly dependent on tourism. During the survey period, visitors spent $37 million in the area. This supplied 1,033 jobs and $20 million in income to the community.

Nearly half of this money was spent on lodging. According to Leones, the typical Williams visitor spends one or two nights in the community. "Because most people are in the area to see the Grand Canyon, they are in town in the evening, not during midday," she explains. "Visitors are eating and buying retail items elsewhere for the most part."

Globe-Miami's visitors are mainly day trippers, according to the survey. This historic mining community has several attractions including Roosevelt Lake recreation area, Besh-Ba-Gowah ruins, the Apache Gold Casino, and many antique shops. During the study, visitors spent $13.6 million in the area--resulting in 634 jobs.

Despite the differences between the two areas, there were several similarities in the preferences of their visitors. Both studies showed a large percentage of visitors chose their destinations based on recommendations from family and friends. This was particularly true in Globe-Miami, where close to half of the visitors had heard of the community through word-of-mouth.

"This is true in most tourism studies," Leones says. "What it means is that the very best advertising for the community is outstanding customer service."

Another common element between the two studies was the type of information tourists prefer. Visitors in both surveys made heavy use of maps during their trip. "If your community provides no other piece of information to visitors, it should have good maps of the area," Leones notes.

Visitors also preferred to receive travel information in written form--so they could carry it with them--and through talking with knowledgeable local people. "Visitors are becoming increasingly sophisticated users of travel information," Leones says. "They often seek not only to know what there is to do in the area, but they also seek information about the quality of these attractions and tourist services."

Based on the survey results, Leones believes rural communities should focus on overnight visitors. In both studies, overnight visitors spent at least twice as much money in the communities as compared to day trippers. Many of these daytime visitors came from nearby cities. "Metropolitan areas are often successful in marketing rural areas as day trip destinations, while still keeping the visitors for the night in the city," Leones says.

To capture more tourism dollars, rural communities need to develop modern and attractive accommodations, as well as plan evening activities for visitors, Leones says. Both Williams and Globe-Miami have had large increases in the number of hotel rooms since the studies were completed.

Leones also recommends that communities develop a market niche--catering to visitors' special interests or values. "Many visitors are looking for life enriching experiences, the opportunity to learn and grow as people through their travel experiences," she says. "Communities that provide these experiences will successfully attract visitors."

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