NICE VIEWS — Agricultural landscapes like this one at the Blue Ridge Parkway's Mahogany Rock overlook in Alleghany County are a favorite with visitors. These views are also among the most threatened. A recently completed study indicates that increased development along the parkway corridor would reduce visitation and the economic impact of the scenic road on neighboring communities. National Park Service photo

Blue Ridge Parkway study places $5 billion per year value on views

In dollar terms, the scenic views along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina are worth upwards of $5 billion a year to the visitors who enjoy them, and preserving the integrity of these views would net the state's tourism economy hundreds of millions of dollars annually. That's according to the recently completed North Carolina Scenic Experience Survey that was released recently by the National Park Service.

The survey was conducted in the summer and fall of 2002 as a collaborative project between the National Park Service, two universities and an independent consultant. A previously completed companion study documented the value of views along the southwest Virginia section of the parkway.

In the recently released North Carolina survey, researchers from the Departments of Economics at the University of North Carolina-Asheville and Warren Wilson College, in cooperation with consultant Steven Stewart, collected and analyzed 640 visitor responses to discover what value visitors place on viewing scenes along the parkway.

According to the research team, visitors attach annual values of $468-519 per person to experiencing the views along the Blue Ridge Parkway between Asheville and the Virginia state line. This number represents the cash value that visitors indicated would justly compensate them for the loss of the experience of viewing scenes along this section of the parkway.

This sum exceeds values placed on camping, whitewater rafting and hunting experiences for which similar data has been collected. The parkway in North Carolina averages more than 11 million visits a year which yields a total visitor value of some $5 billion. This represents the value of visitor satisfaction received and does not reflect expenditures.

Parkway Superintendent Daniel W. Brown said, "While these dollar values are impressive, the most significant finding is the extent and depth of public support for protecting the scenery, which is really at the heart of the Blue Ridge Parkway experience."

Respondents overwhelmingly supported resource protection efforts and indicated that state government and local communities should assist the National Park Service in preserving these views.

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