The National Park Service and Blue Ridge Heritage have given two Virginia Tech researchers a $266,000 grant to develop a sustainable tourism strategy for the Rocky Knob area of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The Rocky Knob recreation area is near the intersection of the Blue Ridge Parkway and Virginia Route 8 and covers more than 4,000 acres.
The area includes Mabry Mill and Rock Castle Gorge, a visitor center, campground and cabins, and four hiking trails.
The research team will be a joint venture between Virginia Tech and Clemson University. Nancy McGehee, associate professor of hospitality and tourism management, and John McGee, assistant professor of forestry and geospatial extension specialist will join the team.
The project's goal is to develop a strategy for the area that will attract new tourists and also engage the area's regular visitors "so that they more fully experience the area and make a greater economic impact, while still sustaining what is unique and special about the region," McGehee said.
McGehee said work on the project will be stakeholder-driven, particularly by Blue Ridge Heritage, a recently formed nonprofit organization that seeks to boost economic development in Floyd and Patrick counties.
Work will include an inventory of tourism assets; a variety of surveys, including one on-site survey that will involve the use of GPS data-loggers; regular consultations and workshops with local community members and key community tourism experts; and the production of several reports, maps, and data tables that will be presented to Blue Ridge Heritage, the National Park Service and other project stakeholders.
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