Development of Spending Profiles for Recreation Visitors to Corps of Engineers Projects.

Abstract : This report presents the process used to develop visitor spending profiles for visitors to US Army Corps of Engineers (CE) projects. Basic economic impact analysis principles and applications are presented in the context of the development of visitor spending profiles. The survey of 12 CE projects yielded 3,144 on site interviews that measured recreation use patterns and spending on durable goods. Trip spending was measured using a mailback questionnaire distributed to on site interview respondents. The mailback survey yielded 2,190 completed questionnaires, resulting in a response rate of 70 percent. Visitor spending profiles were developed for major CE user groups that can serve as the basis for future economic impact analyses. Visitor spending estimates were developed for the 12 CE study sites, all CE Divisions, and all CE projects nationally.