Nancy M. Hodur

Estimating the Economic Impact of Event Tourism: A Review of Issues and Methods

Abstract Tourism has become an important economic sector in many parts of the world, and many regions, states, and local areas have identified expenditures by visitors as a potential source of economic growth. Because visitor spending can contribute to the local economy, many communities seek to enhance tourism and visitor-oriented activities. As a result, estimates of the economic impact of event tourism are of interest to a wide variety of interested parties. Economic impact analyses of sports facilities and other entertainment events have come under increasing criticism in recent years. At the same time, visitors to sports events, festivals, and other visitor-oriented and event related activities can produce very substantial economic impacts for host communities. This article examines key considerations and issues that affect and are critical to reliable estimates of the economic impacts of events and event tourism.

Assessing the Economic Impact of Invasive Weeds: The Case of Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia esula)1

Abstract Leafy spurge has become a serious problem for ranchers and land managers in the northern Great Plains region. A bioeconomic model was developed to estimate the economic impacts of leafy spurge on grazing land and wildland in a four-state region (Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming). Leafy spurge infestations on grazing land were estimated to result in a loss in regional grazing capacity sufficient to support a herd of 90,000 cows. Direct economic impacts on stock growers, landowners, and agribusiness firms were estimated to exceed

Marketing rural communities: a qualitative study on the power of community images

37 million annually, whereas secondary impacts throughout the regional economy totaled almost

Contributions of Renewable Energy Industries to the Local Economy in North Dakota

83 million. Impacts on wildland were smaller but still substantial. Study results indicated the serious nature of the leafy spurge problem in the northern Great Plains region and helped to justify enhanced control efforts. Nomenclature: Leafy spurge, Euphorbia esula L. #3 EPHES. Abbreviations: AUM, animal unit month.

Biological Control of Leafy Spurge: Utilization and Implementation

What do prospective new residents see when they look at local images on a community website? Are the pictures conveying the meaning that the community wanted? These questions were central to a study of six communities located in the Great Plains of the United States to discover and apply innovative marketing concepts and methods to attract new residents to rural communities and regions. Market image research using a modified business marketing model was conducted with current and potential new residents. Findings suggest that images do not always communicate the intended message and that the same image can portray different messages to different people. The findings suggest that by tailoring the types of image and way images are used, communities can enhance their ability to market their community to new residents. Rural economic developers, chambers of commerce, and business owners can incorporate the recommendations to improve targeted employee recruitment, as well as general new resident recruitment.

Tourist Word of Mouth and Revisit Intentions to Rural Tourism Destinations: a Case of North Dakota, USA

Energy production in North Dakota is typically associated with fossil fuels, but in the past decade there has been considerable growth in renewable energy, which is comprised of ethanol production, electricity generation from wind turbines, and the manufacture of wind turbine components. Using expenditures data from renewable energy firms, we find that expansion of renewable energy infrastructure between 2002 and 2011 increased retail sales, personal income, employment, and total tax collections. Total economic impact associated with construction expenditures peaked in 2008 and 2009. In 2011 the total economic impact of the operations of renewable energy industries in North Dakota was

Estimating the contribution of a multi-purpose event facility to the area economy

1.0 billion, two-thirds of which was contributed by ethanol production.

Agricultural and recreational impacts of the conservation reserve program in rural North Dakota, USA

Leafy spurge is an exotic, noxious, perennial weed that is widely established in the north-central United States. A research and demonstration project, TEAM Leafy Spurge, was initiated to develop and demonstrate ecologically based strategies that can produce effective, affordable leafy spurge control. To assess the effectiveness of current and perceived control of leafy spurge due to biological control agents, a mail survey was sent to 468 people. Respondents reported basic information about the number and characteristics of release sites, characteristics of the leafy spurge stands, as well as the level of control to date and perceived level of eventual control.