The U.S. Economic Development Administration recently distributed $750 million to 185 grantees hit by declines in the travel, tourism and outdoor recreation industries.
The EDA grants are funded by President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan, according to a Nov. 16 EDA news release. EDA is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Commerce.
"President Biden recognizes the vital contribution the travel and tourism industry makes to the American economy," Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo said in the news release. "This EDA investment is a critical first step in evaluating and measuring the impacts of the American Rescue Plan on this key sector."
Research grants, distributed by EDA's Research and National Technical Assistance program, went to organization that included the National Governors Association's Center for Best Practices, also called the NGA Center, and Oregon State University's Center for Outdoor Recreation Economy. The NGA Center and OSU received grants "to develop and lead a robust research program designed to assess the effectiveness of these critical investments and identify best practices for future visitor-based economic development," the release said.
The $598,050 grant to the NGA Center and OSU is intended to support two years of research to collect and analyze data related to American Rescue Plan travel, tourism and outdoor recreation program grants while also identifying connections between EDA awards and grantees local economies, according to the release.
Initiatives for the awards include those that accelerate recovery of visitor-based local economies through projects that, among other things, develop new park space, construct bike trails, enhance cultural tourism amenities and improve historic neighborhoods, the release reported.
Funding will mean a great deal in those hard-hit communities, NGA Center Director Timothy Blute said in the news release.
"This project will assist state, local and federal leaders by identifying policies and implementation strategies that can be adopted to help the tourism and outdoor recreation sector recover, regionalize and diversify to build businesses that are resilient to economic shocks," Blute said in the release. "We're excited to partner with EDA and CORE on this important initiative."
EDA's directive to OSU's Center for Outdoor Recreation dovetails well with its ongoing research to understand sectoral workforce needs while working with industry stakeholders, Center for Outdoor Recreation Executive Director Lee Davis said in the news release.
"By analyzing data produced by jurisdictions that receive American Rescue Plan Travel Tourism and Outdoor Recreation program grants, this project will substantially contribute to the body of knowledge that supports state and local economic decision-making on visitor-based development," Davis said in the release. "Oregon State University and NGA Center are uniquely positioned to deliver actionable and meaningful results."
