Outdoor Recreation in Southeastern United States National Forests: An Investigation of the Influence of Ethnicity and Gasoline Price on Individual Participation

Rosny Jean (), Kozma Naka, Colmore S. Christian (), Buddhi Raj Gyawali, Troy Bowman and Sampson Hopkinson
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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

Tourism and Hospitality, 2023, vol. 4, issue 2, 1-25

Abstract: Outdoor recreation is one of the most widely recognized ecosystem services provided by forests and grasslands in the world. This paper examined the influence of factors not related to landscape values, such as ethnicity and gasoline prices, on individual participation in outdoor recreation in the southeastern region of the U.S. The model results showed that there were no significant ( p > 0.05) differences between the race groups (Caucasians and non-Caucasians) for participation in the different activities either between racial groups or among National Forest (NF). This may be due to the very high proportion of Caucasian participants in the study. The results also revealed that travel costs negatively influence the number of NF visits. The number of NF visits decreases if the gasoline price increases by 20% and more. The results of this study have practical importance for different entities such as stakeholders, tourism operators, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, and local authorities.

Keywords: National Forests; forests; outdoor recreation; travel time; visitors; Southeastern United States; model; surveys (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Z3 Z30 Z31 Z32 Z33 Z38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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