OUTDOOR RECREATION Participation SURVEY

Conducted in 2023 in conjunction with Appalachian State University’s Center for Economic Research and Policy Analysis, the Western North Carolina Outdoor Recreation Participation Survey aimed to establish a foundational dataset supporting economic impact and benefit-cost analyses within the Building Outdoor Communities (BOC) program. Targeting outdoor recreation participants across 25 Western North Carolina (WNC) counties and the Qualla Boundary, the survey successfully captured insights from 1,786 respondents from key states— Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia—representing visitors to WNC. This survey serves as a comprehensive analysis of outdoor recreation in the region, laying the groundwork for understanding its economic significance and guiding future research and decision-making endeavors.