Visions in Leisure and Business Volume 20 Number 4 Article 3 2003 An Amenity Assessment Model for Evaluating State Park Tourism Assets James D. Bigley Georgia Southern University Larry Mutter Georgia Southern University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/visions Recommended Citation Bigley, James D. and Mutter, Larry (2003) "An Amenity Assessment Model for Evaluating State Park Tourism Assets," Visions in Leisure and Business: Vol. 20 : No. 4 , Article 3. Available at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/visions/vol20/iss4/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at ScholarWorks@BGSU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Visions in Leisure and Business by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@BGSU. AN AMENITY ASSESSMENT MODEL FOR EVALUATING STATE PARK TOURISM ASSETS BY DR. JAMES D. BIGLEY, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AND DR. LARRY MUTTER, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR DEPARTMENT OF RECREATION AND SPORT MANAGEMENT P.O. BOX 8077 GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY STATESBORO, GEORGIA 30460 ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION Creative, quick and inexpensive assessment Creative, quick and inexpensive assessment models based on sound methods that yield models bas.ed on sound methods that yield practical applications can be of great utility practical applications can be of great utility to the administrators of both public and pri­ to the administrators of both public and pri­ vate sector outdoor recreation resources in vate sector outdoor recreation resources in their decision-making tasks. This paper pre­ their decision-making tasks. This paper pre­ sents a case study on the development of a sents the development and application of a tourism amenity assessment model designed tourism amenity assessment model that was for application to state and regional parks developed and utilized to evaluate fourteen and historic sites. The five-step process util­ state parks and historic sites under the aus­ ized in developing and applying the model is pices of the Georgia Department of Natural discussed. The findings yielded as a result Resources (DNR). The delimitations placed of application of the model to state parks in by the DNR on the model were that it be de­ southeastern Georgia (USA) are enumerated, veloped from a sound foundation and that and the recommendations made to Georgia interpretations of findings be presented in Department of Natural Resources decision layperson' s language. In addition, the DNR makers are presented. A concluding discus­ desired that a team of external tourism and sion identifies the wider managerial utility of park management professionals conduct the the model. process. With those delimitations as guiding principles, the DNR contacted the authors to explore the possibility of developing and testing an assessment model that would ful­ filltheir needs and requirements. 18 The purpose of this paper is not, per se, to Resources are recognized as an essential and present and discuss the findings of the DNR economically important component of the study conducted by the authors, but rather to state's tourism infrastructure. In the course present a description of the process em­ of internal discussions aimed at analyzing ployed to develop the assessment model that how well state parks and historic sites meet was used to conduct that study. The authors the expectations of travelers to Georgia, the anticipate that national, state, and regional DNR arrived at several conclusions, based park and recreation decision makers will on anecdotal evidence supplied by state park find utility in the application of the model as managers, concerning the visitation and use· a whole, or the adaptation of its component of the parks. A major conclusion of these parts, to their particular agency setting. discussions was that visitor expectations concerning the recreational opportunities and amenities available at parks in south STUDY BACKGROUND Georgia's coastal and lower piedmont zones was apparently "different" from the expecta- The state parks and historic sites adminis­ tions regarding recreational opportunities tered by the Georgia Department of Natural and amemties available at north Georgia parks, which are located in a dis­ toric sites, both in the north and south of the tinctly different physiographic region and state. are more closely proximate to intensely de­ veloped urban areas. In general, the anecdo­ To fulfill this need a study team consisting tal assessment was that visitors perceive and of the authors was directed to develop a expect the north Georgia parks to provide a model capable of yielding an inventory and sizable diversity of quality outdoor recrea­ assessment of the existing and potential tion opportunities and service amenities tourism-related assets at the fourteen state while the south Georgia parks were viewed parks and historic sites located in the coastal to be deficit in such opportunities and zone (CZ) and the eastern lower piedmont amenities (12). zone .(ELZP) of south Georgia. The model would also yield recommendations regarding Hence, the DNR concluded that a need ex­ the development and promotion of those isted for the objective assessment by exter­ tourism assets. The findings of this assess­ nal agents of the activity- and amenity-based ment effort would be utilized by DNR plan­ expectations of south Georgia (also referred ners in decision-making concerning the allo­ to as the coastal and/or eastern lower pied­ cation of park development and promotion mont zones) tourists. In addition, it was de­ funds. termined that an assessment of how or if the existing and potential assets of Georgia's In studying the DNR request and delimita­ coastal and piedmont zone state parks could tions, the investigators determined that the meet tourists' expectations should also be most appropriate approach would be to de­ conducted. Such information would be use­ velop a model that was a) centered on the ful in developing a marketing strategy for assessment of destination attributes-­ parks in south Georgia that was different particularly as they were related to estab­ from the single, general promotional cam­ lished user expectations and use patterns-­ paign that was employed (at that time) to associated with state park amenities, and b) promote all the Department's parks and his- derived from secondary data sources and 19 field investigation. From that premise, a portant tourism access and "awareness" model was developed that followed the steps mechanism, traverses the eastern most sec­ presented in Figure 1. tion of the region. The focal points of the region's tourism activities are the resort is­ In summary, the task of the study requested lands, low country heritage and nature-based by DNR and conducted by the authors was pursuits, and the City of Savannah.- to two-fold. First, the practical and time­ sensiti ve task was to identify (via secondary sources) the tourism destination attributes DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION desired by southeastern U.S. coastal tourists. OF THE MODEL Second, to use those attributes as a basis for assessing the degree to which the amenities As presented in Figure 1, a five-step meth­ of the Georgia coastal zone and eastern odology was employed to conduct the study. lower piedmont zone parks could provide Step 1 consisted of conducting a literature fulfillment of tourist expectations. Those review to understand current, use driven no­ findings would be of immediate utility in tions concerning the concept of a "destina­ fund allocation decisions for park develop­ tion attribute." In addition, the term "desti­ ment and promotion efforts. nation attribute" was defined in layperson' s terms in order to establish a baseline defini­ tion that would be readily understood by STUDY REGION DESCRIPTIONS DNR personnel utilizing the findings of this study. Step 2 entailed the development of an Table 1 provides a list of the state parks and inventory and assessment instrument that historic sites evaluated in this study. Figure would be used in the field research task. 2 provides a map delineating the location of This instrument was based upon the findings the state parks and historic sites. of a literature review and discussion with recreation resource academics and profes­ The Eastern Lower Piedmont Zone (ELPZ) sionals with knowledge of asset inventory includes thirteen counties that span the mid­ and assessment methods. During Step 3, the section of the Savannah River border be­ study team conducted an on-site inventory tween Georgia and South Carolina. The In­ and assessment of the existing and potential terstate 20 corridor, an important tourism assets and amenities at each state park in the access and "awareness" mechanism, trav­ study area. This step utilized the instrument erses the northern most section of the region. developed in Step 2 and yielded numeric The focal points of the region's tourism ac­ scores for the assets present in the state tivities are the Savannah River reservoir­ parks. Steps 4 and 5 consisted of analyzing based parks, small town heritage touring, the findings of the field research and gener­ rural nature-based pursuits, and the City of ating recommendations regarding the identi­ Augusta. fication of target markets for existing and potential assets in CZ and ELPZ state parks. The Coastal Zone (CZ) includes twelve counties that span the area from the south­ eastern section of the Savannah River to the St. Mary's River on the Georgia-Florida border. The Interstate 95 Corridor, an im- 20 Step 1. Definition and Identification of fined by the authors, a "destination attribute" Destination Attributes is a characteristic inherent in a destination (such as a state park) that influences tourists' Step 1 consisted of two tasks. First, the in­ choices and experiences at that destination. vestigators conducted a comprehensive re­ Attributes encompass the natural and built view of academic, popular, and government environment as well as the activities and op­ sponsored research and/or literature with an portunities offered at the destination. In ad­ emphasis on coastal region tourism and rec­ dition, attributes can be both positive (a na­ reation.