Identifying Primary Drivers of Participants from Various Socioeconomic Backgrounds to Choose National Forest Lands in the Southeastern Region of the US as a Travel Destination for Recreation

Rosny Jean, Kozma Naka, Colmore S. Christian (), Buddhi Raj Gyawali, Troy Bowman and Sampson Hopkinson
Additional contact information
Rosny Jean: School of the Environment, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL 32307, USA
Kozma Naka: Biological and Environmental Sciences Department, Alabama A&M University, Normal, AL 35762, USA
Colmore S. Christian: Biological and Environmental Sciences Department, Alabama A&M University, Normal, AL 35762, USA
Buddhi Raj Gyawali: School of Agriculture, Community, and the Sciences, Kentucky State University, Frankfort, KY 40601, USA
Troy Bowman: Biological and Environmental Sciences Department, Alabama A&M University, Normal, AL 35762, USA
Sampson Hopkinson: Biological and Environmental Sciences Department, Alabama A&M University, Normal, AL 35762, USA

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 8, 1-25

Abstract: Growing demand for National Forests (NFs) recreational activities makes it crucial to understand the attitudes towards valuing public recreational resources and the potential conflicts with other functions of the forests. The study was conducted to identify the primary drivers influencing individual participation in outdoor recreation on NF lands in the southeastern region of the US among participants of various socioeconomic backgrounds. The study was based on the 2010–2014 dataset of fourteen NFs across thirteen states in the Southeastern USA—retrieved from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Different statistical models and statistical analyses were utilized for the study. The statistical results revealed that individual needs for relaxation were the main driver for participation in forest recreation for the whole sample and pulled data (approximately 52% of the participants). It has been noted that the drivers varied depending on the forest. The personal need for mental development was the least valued driver with only 2%. Some significant differences were observed by gender, age category, and income level. The study results have practical importance for different stakeholders such as tourism operators, the USDA Forest Service, and local authorities.

Keywords: national forests; recreation; forests; outdoor activities; tourists; Southeastern United States; model; surveys (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/8/1301/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/8/1301/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:11:y:2022:i:8:p:1301-:d:886379

Access Statistics for this article

Land is currently edited by Ms. Carol Ma

More articles in Land from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().