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Tourists rate Hoosier parks
 By Steve Leer
 Outdoor recreation remains a strong part of Indiana tourism but retail, sports and cultural attractions are hot on Mother Nature's heels.
Research conducted by Purdue University's Department of Forestry and Natural Resources (FNR) indicates weekend travelers give Indiana parks and nature areas the highest satisfaction rating among four tourism activity groups. Yet these same people say they're spending less time in the great outdoors and more time and money inside.
"The focus may be shifting, or the market may be shrinking in outdoor recreation," says Gyehee Lee, an FNR research assistant and one of the authors of "Indiana Getaway Weekend Market: Activity Segmentation Report." Purdue prepared the report for the Indiana Department of Commerce, which includes the state tourism division.
Lee and forestry professor Joseph O'Leary analyzed data from 1994-98 and found that the market share for outdoor tourism had dipped from 32 percent to 27 percent of total tourism. Meanwhile, cultural activities remained almost steady at 38 percent and "urban leisure," which includes sporting events and other forms of entertainment, grew from 29 percent to 38 percent. The fourth category, shopping and dining, fell 6 percent, to 41 percent.
Although market share declined in outdoor recreation, travelers said they were more pleased with Indiana's outdoor offerings than with competing tourist draws.
"People perceive high value" in Indiana's outdoor recreation facilities, Lee says. She adds that Indiana could build on that positive image to better promote the Hoosier hinterlands.
State tourism officials say the Purdue report should help them create more effective marketing programs. "Indiana's centralized geographic location, combined with our unique tourism product, has proven to be a good fit for visitors preferring more frequent, closer-to-home trips," says Cheri Wagner, a spokeswoman for the Indiana Tourism Division. "Purdue's Activity Segmentation Report will provide valuable new insight into this important market segment."
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