Could education tourism keep the lights on in Appalachia? Opinion
The industry that helps keep the lights on is fading. Between 1950 and 2011, coal provided between 42% and 57% of the electricity used in the United States. Recent advancements in mining productivity and tumbling natural gas prices have since decimated the coal industry. Today, coal provides only 22% of U.S. electricity, while 38% comes from natural gas.
Over the last decade, the U.S. economy lost 53,100 coal jobs with an average annual salary of $72,330. Appalachia is among the regions hardest hit by the energy transition. In Owsley County, Kentucky, 39.9% of the residents rely on SNAP payments for food. At the same time, Appalachia is rich in culture, natural beauty and residents who deserve a new path forward.
One cannot know the plight of economic insecurity without losing sleep pondering solutions. Ponder this: Could education tourism keep the lights on in Appalachia?
Tourism has saved many a waning mining town elsewhere. In Colorado, the flourishing communities of Durango, Leadville, Breckenridge, Telluride and Silverton are among many once beholden to mining but now buoyed by tourism. The ski slopes and antelopes in some of these towns are not essential ingredients for tourism. Visitors also flock to classes in everything from wine blending to circus skills. People with talent, ambition and inspiration can implement education tourism to bring commerce almost anywhere.
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Ashland, Oregon, has the rolling hills of Appalachia and lacks the draws of professional sports, casinos and large convention centers. What they do have are bicycle mechanic classes that attract visitors from around the country. They also offer a series of Shakespeare-related performances and talks from April through December that bring in 400,000 guests annually.
How else can a small, remote town attract visitors? The Gateway Canyons Resort and Spa near the Utah-Colorado border offers lessons in star gazing, archery, and rock climbing. For those who want to learn about cars, the auto museum in Gateway holds enough classic cars to comfortably seat the town’s entire population.
Closer to home, visitors from near and far head to Shaker Village, a former shaker community near Harrodsburg, Kentucky, for lessons in candle making, weaving, wood carving, butterfly tagging, pottery and history. I once happened upon a middle-earth convention there while visiting to take family photos. I now have photos with hobbits in the background.
The Appalachian Regional Commission is among the groups seeking and promoting entrepreneurial endeavors to elevate the economies of Appalachia. Strong efforts have been made and learning opportunities exist in eastern Kentucky, but educational tourism offers a direction for further growth. Think of the enthusiasts for cooking, dancing, repairing, hat making, music playing, art, quilting, birdwatching, distilling, massage, poetry, yoga and so many other skills who would love to learn more on a delightful retreat in the mountains.
Visitors to a community bring money. An extended stay involves spending not only at tourist attractions, but at gas stations, stores, restaurants and hotels. The average visitor to Kentucky spends $63 on a day trip and $165 for an overnight stay. A Friday-to-Sunday visit for a baking class would thus generate $393 in direct spending per person. A weeklong class would yield $1,155 in direct spending per person, or $34,650 for a class with 30 students.
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Spending creates more spending as the recipients of tourism dollars use that money to buy goods and services for themselves. If half of every dollar spent in a community is re-spent in the community, and half of the re-spent money is re-spent, and so on, the total spending generated by each weeklong class would be $69,300.
Tourism has its problems. Too many tourists can change a culture and trample a forest. Fortunately, there are ways to manage crowds and preserve wildlife. Education tourism does not result in the crowds we see at beaches and big cities. And tourism creates less pollution than many other industries, including the coal industry.
The story of Appalachia has taken unfortunate turns. Coal may be on its last chapter, but the tale of eastern Kentucky is long from over. As the sequel to coal, clean, safe, well-paying jobs in education tourism could help residents find the plot twist they deserve. Of course, easy solutions are a fairytale. Success requires careful planning, temporary support, trial and error, and passion for the cultural heritage of Kentucky. All of that is more tenable than a sad ending for Appalachia.
Dr. David A. Anderson is the Blazer Professor of Economics and Business at Centre College. His research focuses on gender bias and the economics of the environment, crime and public policy.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Could education tourism keep the lights on in Appalachia? Opinion
