Tourism, Recreation and Trail Impacts - Tourism and Trails: Cultural, Ecological and Management Issues - page 158

Case Study: Economic Expenditure on the D&L Trail,
Pennsylvania, USA ( Continued )
user visits in 2012. The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (2012) appraised the
value of this visitation in direct spending at approximately $19 million,
of which $16.4 million was believed to have been injected directly into
the local economy (see Table 5.9). Expenditures included hard purchases
(e.g. equipment) and soft purchases (e.g. rentals, snacks, food). On aver-
age, users spent $425.12 on hard purchases in 2012 and $33.49 in soft
items. The hard goods estimate takes into account that equipment might
last up to 10 years and not have to be replaced every year. The average
life of a hard good was estimated to be six years, which was factored into
the annual estimate of hard goods expenditures (Rails-to-Trails
Conservancy, 2012). In the same study, the average number of nights
spent by overnight visitors was 2.2, with average expenditures per night
being $132.36 (see Table 5.9) in a fairly wide variety of lodging facilities
(see Table 5.10).
Using the D&L Trail influenced three quarters of users to spend
money on hard items, particularly equipment that would help them
enjoy their experience more. The most often-stated purchase was for

Table 5.9 Annual use and expenditure estimates for the D&L Trail

Category % usage Average

expenditure $

Total estimated
expenditure $

Hard goods/equipment 77.4 425.12 2,171,720

Soft goods 73.6 33.49 6,970,537

Accommodations 11.4 132.36 9,387,664

Source: Compiled from Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (2012).

Table 5.10 Lodging choice of multi-day users on the D&L Trail

If you spent the night during your trail experience, which
type of lodging did you use?

One response %

Motel/hotel 29.8

Bed and breakfast 19.4

Home of friend or relative 21.0

Campground 20.2

Other 9.7

Source: Compiled from Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (2012).