Developing a Sustainable Tourism Framework for the Outer Banks National Scenic Byway

Abstract

The Outer Banks National Scenic Byway (OBNSB) is a 142.5-mile driving route located along North Carolina’s Outer Banks, one of the state’s most profitable and popular tourist destinations. Spanning across three coastal counties—Carteret, Dare, and Hyde— the OBNSB region supports a growing tourism industry, with a spectrum of impacts that need to be assessed. To address this, we present a framework to measure the current and potential economic, environmental, and social impacts of increasing coastal and marine tourism along the OBNSB. The framework is centered on the utilization of sustainability indicators, informed by an extensive literature review, interviews with select stakeholders in coastal communities, and an analysis of socio-economic and ecological data. The final report provides North Carolina Sea Grant (NCSG), as well as local communities and organizations, with planning information to improve regional economic and environmental conditions and optimize local goals for sustainable tourism development.