Appendix I
Developing Impact Indicators for Tourism Extension Programs
Jennifer Glynn, Independent Consultant, Higher Education Insight
Project Background The tourism industry is broad and diverse. Tourism occurs in communities large and small across the country and affects multiple facets of those communities. Indeed, 1 in 10 jobs in the United States depend on travel and tourism. 1 The National Extension Tourism Network (NET) was established to foster research, education, and outreach to support sustainable tourism. NET has over 800 members, including Extension and Sea Grant faculty and educators, destination management organizations, federal agency personnel, state and municipal government staff, and small business owners. Collectively they produce research, education, and outreach to support sustainable tourism within Cooperative Extension and Sea Grant, helping local leaders and governing officials make informed decisions about recreation and tourism, and ultimately contributing to the long-term economic development, environmental stewardship, and socio-cultural wellbeing of the communities and regions that its members serve. NET staff members aspire to create a set of evaluation impact indicators that can be used to assess the value of its members’ activities. This document outlines a proposed approach to developing those indicators and articulates a starting set of indicators based on an initial review of NET documents and relevant literature.
1 NET Strategic Plan 2020-2021. https://extensiontourism.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/NET-Strategic-Plan- 2020-FINAL-7.7.20.pdf
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