The Appalachian Regional Commission's Use of Tourism as an Economic Development Tool in Eastern Kentucky: 1965 - Present

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Matthews, T. (2018). The Appalachian Regional Commission's Use of Tourism as an Economic Development Tool in Eastern Kentucky: 1965 - Present. Unc Charlotte Electronic Theses And Dissertations.
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Abstract

A federal agency that was established during the War on Poverty, the Appalachian Regional Commission was created to help develop the Appalachian region through economic development initiatives and improve residents’ quality of life. Critics have called the agency a boondoggle that ignores certain parts of the region, especially the poorer areas. An analysis of the Appalachian Regional Commission’s tourism development initiatives in Eastern Kentucky, an especially impoverished area in the agency’s purview, revealed that earlier criticisms are not quite correct. While Eastern Kentucky’s tourism industry is not as robust as its neighboring states, it still benefits the area not only economically, but also serves to preserve cultural and artistic traditions and strengthen leadership within communities. The analysis also revealed that the Appalachian Regional Commission’s tourism development methods do not prioritize certain regions over others and help prevent outside control of any tourism projects that are developed.

Details
Author

Matthews, Taylor

Title

The Appalachian Regional Commission's Use of Tourism as an Economic Development Tool in Eastern Kentucky: 1965 - Present

Physical Description

1 online resource (98 pages) : PDF

Date

2018

Degree Granting Institution

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Abstract

A federal agency that was established during the War on Poverty, the Appalachian Regional Commission was created to help develop the Appalachian region through economic development initiatives and improve residents’ quality of life. Critics have called the agency a boondoggle that ignores certain parts of the region, especially the poorer areas. An analysis of the Appalachian Regional Commission’s tourism development initiatives in Eastern Kentucky, an especially impoverished area in the agency’s purview, revealed that earlier criticisms are not quite correct. While Eastern Kentucky’s tourism industry is not as robust as its neighboring states, it still benefits the area not only economically, but also serves to preserve cultural and artistic traditions and strengthen leadership within communities. The analysis also revealed that the Appalachian Regional Commission’s tourism development methods do not prioritize certain regions over others and help prevent outside control of any tourism projects that are developed.

Genre

masters theses

Subjects--Topics

Government policy
History

Subjects--Places

America

Degree

M.A.

Keywords

Appalachian Regional Commission
Eastern Kentucky
Economic Development
Public Policy
Tourism

Subject Area

History

Advisor(s)

Shapiro, Aaron

Committee Members

Cox, Karen
Cebul, Brent

Degree Note

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2018.

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Rights Holder Information

Copyright is held by the author unless otherwise indicated.

Identifier

Matthews_uncc_0694N_11865

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/etd:864