The facts show that Americans are not only active recreators but active travelers as well. The travel industry has shown that leisure travelers are no longer content to just sit on the beach, but are seeking vacations that stimulate, educate, and inspire (Schulz 1994). Travelers are seeking out vacations alone and with friends, but now more than ever are interested in participating in recreation with their entire family. The decision on where and when to travel is usually a joint decision involving family members or friends. Although the average vacation has been shortened to three or four days, individuals are choosing to take several of these "long weekend" trips per year.

The personal benefits of pleasure travel are well-documented and are very diverse, ranging from escape and relaxation, to socializing with friends and relatives. The economic benefits of travel are also well documented. Tourism provides an economic boost in terms of sales and tax revenues, and local jobs. In 1987, visitors to New York State spent $17 billion, providing employment to 700,000 people. State-wide, tourism accounted for 11% of all employment. A recent tourism assessment of the North Country that included 12 of the 14 counties (i.e., all except Oswego and Jefferson counties), found that annual travel employment averaged 38,000 jobs (Dawson et. al. 1994).

Recent data have shown that bicycle touring has increased by over 50% in the last five years (Frothingham 1994). Much of the growth in this area has been in organized bike tours. Adventure Bicycling (formerly Bike Centennial), an organization specializing in bike touring, has experienced a 60% increase in membership since 1990, up to 41,000 members nationwide (Frothingham 1994).

There are a number of bicycle studies that have attempted to quantify the economic impact of bicycling in local economies. In most instances, the approach is to quantify the average daily expenditures of bicyclists, and that was the technique used for the Adirondack North Country Bicycle Master Plan survey effort. A few other studies have examined the impact of bicycle trails on property values in close proximity to the trail system. There are also research efforts that quantified the economic benefit of increased bicycling related to air pollution costs, road construction budgets, etc. Some of the findings of these studies listed in Table 4-1, and are briefly described below.

A study done in Pennsylvania: Allegheny Valley Rail-Trails Feasibility and Development Plan assessed the economic impacts of bicyclists to the local economy (Lord and Strauss 1994). Based on survey data, users of the Oil Creek State Park trail spent an average of $25.85 per person per day (PP/PD) for a total economic impact of $1.8 million annually. Two-thirds of the 22,700 visitors in 1991 came from out-of-state.

In a 1992 National Park Service report, The Impact of Rail Trails: A Study of Users and Property Owners from Three Trails, the economic impacts of trail users were measured (Moore et. al. 1992). This NPS report described the impacts of three trails, in Florida, California, and Iowa. The daily average expenditures per person were: $3.97 (CA), $9.21 (IA), and $11.02 (FL). Overall the economic benefits were substantial with users numbering in the hundreds of thousands for each trail. Results also showed slight increases in property values to adjacent landowners with minimal problems cited by landowners.

A Midwest study, A Look at Visitors on Wisconsin's Elroy Sparta-Trail Bike Trail, examined numerous aspects about trail visitors and found that the average daily expenditure per person was $25.14 for 50,000 annual users (Recreation Resources Center 1988). Those utilizing local lodging establishments spent the most, while campers spent the least. This 21 mile trail is now part of a 200 mile bikeway providing positive economic benefits to a wide geographic area.

Another Wisconsin study, The Economic Impact of Bike Trails: A Case Study of the Sugar River Trail (Lawson 1986) concluded that communities that are intersected by this trail enjoy substantial economic benefit from nonresident use, with nonresident's average daily expenditures ($10.21) nearly twice as high as residents ($5.44). There were nearly 59,000 users in 1985.

A study done on property values, Evaluation of the Burke-Gilman Trail's Effect on Property Values and Crime done by the Seattle Engineering Department (1986) concluded that property near the trail was significantly easier to sell and that it sells for more -- averaging 6% higher -- compared to similar land not near the trail. In addition, minimal problems were reported by adjacent landowners.

An Analysis of Five Existing Trails Converted from Abandoned Railroad Tracks (Open Lands Project 1985) described five trails in the Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois area that provide a network of recreational opportunities for a variety of users in this tri-state region. No specific economic data were given, but use was extensive on each trail. Hundreds of thousands of annual trips are estimated per trail, bringing in considerable economic benefits to the local communities.

Studies of the Summit County, Colorado recreation trail system found that an estimated $4.3 million was spent in 1989 by people using the trail system, primarily for bicycling. The average expenditure per person per day was $50.56 for all respondents, while the average for out-of-state users was $99.66 per day. Approximately 16% of the users were from out-of-state. The number of users on the pathway increased an average of 28% per year between 1986 and 1990. The pathway user count was projected at 212,779 in 1991 (Summit County Community Development Department 1989, 1991).

Within the Adirondack North Country Region, a detailed economic analysis of the GEAR '92 event (Great Eastern Rally of the League of American Wheelmen) held in Canton, New York August 7-10, 1992, found that the average participant spent $232. That translates to a per person, per day average of $77. The total direct economic impact in the community of the 1,378 participants was $319,696. The average income of participants was about $60,000 (Lally 1992).

One study looked beyond expenditures, to the economic benefits of bicycling to individuals, communities, and society. An analysis done for the Minnesota State Bicycle Plan (Minnesota Department of Transportation 1992) attempted to calculate the financial savings from increased use of bicycles. The premise is that each additional mile traveled by bicycle for shopping, school, commuting, etc., is one less mile traveled by automobile, resulting in less gasoline consumption, less pollution, fewer auto repairs, less wear-and-tear on roads, etc. The savings per bicycle mile traveled is estimated to be as high as $1.64 per bicycle mile traveled, allocated as follows: out-of-pocket savings to consumers ($.58), highway capital investment savings ($.84), and taxes and other general public savings ($.22).

Using the conservative estimate of a 2 mile commute per day each way by bicycle in a five day work week, multiplied by a 6 month bicycling season in the North Country Region, the savings per bicyclist totals $852.

Out-of-pocket savings for the bicyclist herself during

the 6 months would be $302, about the price of a new bicycle, or the price of a round-trip ticket to Florida.

Finally, in research directed specifically at bicycle touring, as in the research carried out for this project, the owner of a successful bicycle touring business in Vermont estimated that in 1992, 32,500 out-of-state bicycle tourists in Vermont contribute as much as $13.1 million to the state's economy. Of the total expenditures, lodging comprised 30%, food 21%, bicycle services and outfitters 22%, and personal expenses the remaining 27%. Additionally, the employment and indirect expenditures of bicycle touring companies contribute significantly to the local communities where they are located. In 1986, a Vermont bicycle touring company was sold for $1 million; another was sold in 1987 for a reported $3 million (Burgess 1992).

Overall, these studies demonstrate the potential positive economic impacts of bicyclists and bicycling on local economies. The impact is felt by local merchants in restaurants, retail stores, bike shops, and the lodging industry. Additionally, as shown in the Minnesota research, economic savings accrue to communities and to bicyclists themselves.