Travel Activities
For each of the three targeted travel purposes, the study asked for information on the activities that travelers found of interest. The reported findings are summarized in Table 4 and shown graphically in Figure 4.
The most popular activity among these three groups of potential byway travelers combined is shopping, totaling about 22 percent of total marketable trips. This finding suggests the potential economic benefits to byway communities of marketing to these three groups—particularly those who travel to tour, 60 percent of whom identified shopping as a top activity. The natural, scenic, and historic qualities of the byway collection are natural draws for touring and outdoor travelers; the second and third most popular activities among the target travel groups are enjoyment of lakes and rivers (21% of marketable trips) and small towns and villages (19%). Other important resources that will draw these travelers are wilderness areas (17%), mountains (14%) and historic areas (13%).
| Activity | Interest in Activity | Percent of Marketable Trips | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Touring | Outdoor | Special Events | Touring | Outdoor | Special Events | |
| Shopping | 60% | 28% | 41% | 11% | 5% | 6% |
| Lakes/Rivers | 38% | 60% | 19% | 7% | 11% | 3% |
| Small Towns/Villages | 44% | 37% | 28% | 8% | 7% | 4% |
| Friends/Relatives | 33% | 32% | 39% | 6% | 6% | 5% |
| Wilderness Areas | 32% | 61% | 6% | 11% | 0% | |
| Mountains | 33% | 33% | 14% | 6% | 6% | 2% |
| Historic Areas | 53% | 24% | 10% | 0% | 3% | |
| Landmarks/Historic Sites | 39% | 14% | 7% | 0% | 2% | |
| Beaches/Ocean | 32% | 14% | 6% | 0% | 2% | |
| Unique Local Foods | 40% | 8% | 0% | 0% | ||
| Explore Natural Environs | 33% | 0% | 6% | 0% | ||
| Hiking | 28% | 0% | 5% | 0% | ||
| Rural Farming Areas | 26% | 0% | 5% | 0% | ||
| Viewing Wildlife | 25% | 0% | 5% | 0% | ||
| Casual Dining | 18% | 0% | 0% | 3% | ||
| City Parks/Gardens | 16% | 0% | 0% | 2% | ||
Figure 4 : Top Activities of Interest by Trip Type
Data source: Personal Vehicular Trip Analysis, Longwoods International, 2007
