Examining Potential Tourism Impacts of World Heritage Status: An Analysis of Fort Ancient, Ohio A thesis submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Community Planning in the School of Planning of the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning by Zachary William Moore April 2015 B.A. Wright State University, 2013 Committee Chair: Carla Chifos, PhD, AICP Moore 1 ABSTRACT The subject of tourism, manifesting at varying scales ranging from local to global, has been a topic of much discussion and research among both academic and professional circles. Tourists who visit places which possess a special cultural, historic or natural value, referred to as heritage tourists, seek a unique, immersive and authentic experience. This type of experience can come into conflict with the homogenization and commercialization that often accompanies tourism development, and in the worst cases can lead to deterioration of heritage. This issue can also be exacerbated by a significant increase in visitation following a site’s designation as World Heritage, a prestigious brand which promotes cultural and natural heritage sites worldwide. This thesis analyzes and critiques projected economic and development impacts in Warren County, Ohio, resulting from the inscription of Fort Ancient, a Hopewell Native American hilltop enclosure, as a World Heritage site. The methodological framework comprises three parts: (1) an economic impact analysis, using IMPLAN; (2) build-out scenario production; and (3) build-out scenario visualization, using GIS. Predicted development outcomes, encompassing hotel/motel, restaurant, retail, and arts/entertainment sectors, are examined and discussed in conjunction with development patterns observed near three existing U.S. World Heritage Sites. Moore 2 Moore 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to my thesis committee, Dr. Carla Chifos and John Hancock, for their dedication in helping me to develop this project. Special thanks to Elizabeth Bartley, for providing valuable support and encouragement throughout the process. I would also like to acknowledge Stan Williams, for initially inspiring me to pursue this topic and his continued assistance, as well as my parents for their unwavering love and support. Moore 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1 – Introduction 7 Tourism 7 Heritage 9 Heritage Tourism 11 Sustainable Development 12 Sustainable Development 13 Fort Ancient Site Characteristics and Context 17 Research Premise 22 Chapter 2 – Literature Review 24 Tourists 24 Experience and Authenticity 25 Market Segmentation and Typologies 26 Behaviors of Cultural Heritage Tourists 29 Impact Analysis & IMPLAN 30 Chapter 3 – Methodology 33 Overview 33 Comparative Approach 33 Questions and Objectives 35 Part 1: Economic Impact Analysis 36 Part 2: Build-Out Scenario Production 38 Part 3: Build-Out Scenario Visualization 38 Chapter 4 – Part 1: Economic Impact Analysis 41 Model Parameters 41 Visitation Projections 42 Tourist Typologies 44 Direct Spending Estimates 46 Projected Overall Impacts 48 Projected Additional Employment by Sector 50 Projected Tax Impacts 51 Chapter 5 – Part 2: Build-Out Scenario Production 53 Scenario Parameters 53 Scenario Assumptions 55 Scenario Production Results 55 Moore 5 Chapter 6 – Part 3: Build-Out Scenario Visualization 58 Commercial Clusters 58 Visualization Procedure and Interpretation 62 Scenario Ranking 66 Interchange Exhaustive Scenario 67 I-71 Proximity Scenario 70 Interchange/Corridor Split Scenario 73 Fort Ancient Proximity Scenario 76 Interchange Priority Scenario 79 Even Dispersion Scenario 82 CBD Priority Scenario 85 CBD Exhaustive Scenario 88 Chapter 7 – Conclusion 91 Heritage Tourism Communities 91 Case Study: Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site 92 Case Study: Chaco Culture National Historical Park 94 Case Study: Mesa Verde National Park 96 Expanding Heritage Tourists’ Experience of Warren County 98 Appendix 101 References 181 LIST OF FIGURES, MAPS, AND TABLES Figures Figure 1.1: Fort Ancient Site Diagram 17 Figure 1.2: 3D Model of Fort Ancient 19 Figure 6.1: Cartogram Example 63 Figure 7.1: Location of the Cahokia Mounds 93 Figure 7.2: Cahokia Site Vicinity 94 Figure 7.3: Four Corners Tourism Region 95 Figure 7.4: Cliff Palace 96 Figure 7.5: Downtown Durango 97 Maps Map 1.1: Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks Site Network 19 Map 1.2: Fort Ancient Location in Warren County 20 Map 1.3: Fort Ancient Local Aerial 23 Moore 6 Map 6.1: Commercial Clusters 60 Map 6.2: Clusters by Name 61 Map 6.3: Clusters by Category 62 Map 6.4: Interchange Exhaustive Scenario 68 Map 6.5: I-71 Proximity Scenario 71 Map 6.6: Interchange/Corridor Split Scenario 74 Map 6.7: Fort Ancient Proximity Scenario 77 Map 6.8: Interchange Priority Scenario 80 Map 6.9: Even Dispersion Scenario 83 Map 6.10: CBD Priority Scenario 86 Map 6.11: CBD Exhaustive Scenario 89 Tables Table 1.1: The Criteria for Location 15 Table 1.2: World Heritage Sites in the U.S.A. 16 Table 1.3: U.S. Tentative List 20 Table 3.1: Methodology Workflow Matrix 40 Table 4.1: Tourism Sectoring Scheme 43 Table 4.2: The Eight Impact Models 46 Table 4.3: Daily Tourist Spending Estimates 46 Table 4.4: Direct Spending Estimates for High Estimate Models 47 Table 4.5: Direct Spending Estimates for Low Estimate Models 48 Table 4.6: Maximum and Minimum Overall Impacts 49 Table 4.7: Additional Employment by Tourism Sector 51 Table 4.8: Projected Tax Impacts 52 Table 5.1: Build-Out Scenario Parameters 54 Table 5.2: New Development Areas by Scenario 56 Table 5.3: Detailed Build-Out Scenario Production Results for Models HE-3 and LE-2 57 Table 6.1: Base Scenario Results by Category 64 Table 6.2: Base Scenario Results by Cluster 65 Table 6.3: Interchange Exhaustive Scenario by Cluster 69 Table 6.4: I-71 Proximity Scenario by Cluster 72 Table 6.5: Interchange/Corridor Split Scenario by Cluster 75 Table 6.6: Fort Ancient Proximity Scenario by Cluster 78 Table 6.7: Interchange Priority Scenario by Cluster 81 Table 6.8: Even Dispersion Scenario by Cluster 84 Table 6.9: CBD Priority Scenario by Cluster 87 Table 6.10: CBD Exhaustive Scenario by Cluster 90 Moore 7 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Tourism The subject of tourism, manifesting at varying scales ranging from local to global, has been a topic of much discussion and research among both academic and professional circles. Tourism and the impacts of the travel industry can obviously have tremendous implications on the economic, physical, and social well-being of individual communities, places, and regions. It is also well-understood that the processes involved with marketing and/or appealing to tourists can be leveraged to enhance economic development, and in turn result in very visible benefits. Over the last decade, the tourism industry has become “a global economic powerhouse,” mainly fueled by a growth in the number of international tourists from countries such as Brazil, India, Russia, and China, all places which are experiencing a dramatic expansion of a “strong global middle class” (Fuller 2013). According to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the “combined direct and indirect impact [of tourism] on the world economy…in 2012 was US$1.2 trillion; 260 million jobs; US$70 billion in investment and US$1.2 trillion in exports” (Fuller 2013). Altogether during this year, the economic activity spurred by the tourism industry represented 9% of the total world economy, 5% of total economic investment, and 5% of total exports, all while accounting for 1 in 11 of all jobs globally (Fuller 2013). Not only does tourism already represent a sizeable piece of the global economic puzzle, but it is also projected to continue growing into the future. It is predicted that “travel and tourism’s contribution to the world’s GDP [Gross Domestic Product] over the next 10 years is set to grow by 4.4% on average each year and to outpace the growth of the wider economy and other industries such as retail and Moore 8 public services” (Fuller 2013). This trend is being driven by factors such as “cheaper air travel, increased disposable income and leisure time” (Kaminski, Benson, & Arnold, 2014, p. 3). The United States is increasingly becoming aware of the growing global market for international tourism. On March 4, 2010, President Obama signed the Travel Promotion Act of 2009, which created a non-profit public-private organization/partnership called Brand USA; originally referred to as a “Corporation for Travel Promotion,” the purpose of the organization is “to generate increased international visitation to the United States and to grow its share of the global travel market” (Brand USA, 2014, p. 2). The ultimate goal is to “enhance the image” of the country among global travelers, as well as grow the national economy by bringing in “millions of new international visitors who spend billions of dollars…creating tens of thousands of new American jobs” (Brand USA, n.d.). The creation of Brand USA, accompanied with additional studies and research conducted by academics and practitioners, indicates an increased awareness of the importance of global tourism on a national scale. The tourism industry can be divided into various subcategories based on the purpose or intended reasons for travel. For example, differing types of tourism can include ecotourism, agritourism, geotourism, and religious tourism. This thesis will focus on the subject of cultural heritage tourism, sometimes simplified as heritage tourism. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, in 2004 more than 10.6 million international visitors came to the United States to experience “cultural and heritage tourism activities,” and spent on average around three weeks inside the country (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2005, p. 3). There are several ways to promote this particular kind of tourism in the U.S.