ASSESSING RURAL TOURISM EFFORTS IN THE UNITED-STATES

This study reports on a survey of state-sponsored rural tourism programs contacted by phone in 1991. Analysis reveals that 30 states had tourism programs specifically targeted for rural areas; 14 states included rural areas as part of their overall tourism packages; and only 6 states had no specific rural component to their state programs. Using this program data and various contextual factors, a series of multivariate discriminant analyses were conducted. These results identify characteristics of states with multiple rural tourism programs. Possible implications of these findings for rural development research are discussed.