Nature Trails and Mixed Routes - Tourism and Trails: Cultural, Ecological and Management Issues - page 84

American Automobile Association and the National Geographic Society have
designated their own branded scenic byways, which do not necessarily cor-
respond to those of the Federal Highway Administration (Eby & Molnar,
2002; Lew, 1991; Timothy, 2011b).
Lew (1991: 25) charted several benefits of scenic byway programs and
why so many public agencies have supported the inscription of certain drive
corridors as scenic highways or byways:

• drive tourism is one of the most prevalent recreational pastimes in the

United States;

• increased free time and car ownership are generating added demand for

leisure driving;

• rapid urbanization has created the need for rural and open space recre-

ation opportunities;

• car-based sightseeing can generate significant economic benefits to scenic

corridor communities;

• appropriate planning and design of byways can enhance regional aesthet-

ics and recreational opportunities;

• scenic roads offer enjoyable access to destinations;

• scenic byways themselves are tourist attractions;

• scenic road networks can disperse the concentrations of tourists and rec-

reationists, minimizing some potential negative ecological and social
implications of high season;

• attractive byroads can stimulate solidarity and pride in the cultural and

natural heritage of a region; and

• appropriate management can help reduce roadside blight.

Outside the US there are many similar self-drive scenic routes, some of
which are officially designated by national or regional bodies and others that
are more informal but popular motor trails. Little's (1990) examination of
greenways in America included coastal highways as part of what was being
referred to as the drawing of linear open spaces. Examples included US 101
coastal drive, Big Sur's coastal highway, Cascade Loop in Washington State.
Kent (1993) later assigned the label of 'scenic roads' to such types of driving
spaces which were designated for both their natural and cultural features. In
terms of designating scenic roads, Kent's study respondents considered their
visual characteristics more important than the effects of the designation pro-
cess, viewing the natural attributes of the roads to be more important than
the cultural elements.
There remained a paucity of research on self-drive tourism until a special
issue of the Journal of Vacation Marketing in 2003 focused on the topic. Several
strands of thinking emerged from the theme issue. First was the strong rela-
tionship between self-drive tourism and the domestic short-haul 'visiting
friends and relatives' (VFR) market within destinations (Pennington-Gray,