Adventure tourism is on the rise in eastern Kentucky. Backroads of Appalachia has hosted more than 150 events this year in the region ranging from three-day ATV overlanding expeditions to motorcycle tours across the state.
Executive Director of the non-profit, Erik Hubbard, said a large part of his job is to create schematics for trails, roads, and racecourses motorists can explore, as well as facilitate larger events hosted by other licensed groups all with the community’s economy in mind.
“They can now come to Kentucky and put on an event and instead of being in the middle of a giant mountain or the middle of nowhere they can be in a community where they can now transit to the racecourse and transit back to the town where the money is spent with local people, not outside vendors,” said Hubbard.
Hubbard said this year alone his organization has contributed $60 million of projected impact to local communities.
Fred Bramblett, owner of Rides4Fun, a company that hosts motorcycle tours in the state, said motorsports bring interest and money to local communities.
“Not only are we bringing people to the area, but we are introducing them to a property, that according to post event surveys, 88 percent had never heard of. Whether it be Buckhorn Lake or Brakes Interstate Park or Pine Mountain, they've never been to that event before,” said Bramblett. “So, now they're going to that region and learning about it. The good news is 90 percent say they would consider coming back for a vacation.”
Bramblett said participants at events on average travel 251 miles in each direction to attend. Fewer than five percent live within 100 miles. He added motorcycle tourists are more likely to take the state highways than the interstate and more likely to have dinner at a mom-and-pop diner than at a fast-food chain.
More information is available at backroadsofappalachia.org.