URI
researchers: Offshore wind farm increased tourism on Block Island
Researchers at the University of
Rhode Island who analyzed AirBnB rental data before and after construction of
the Block Island Wind Farm have found that, contrary to some concerns, the
turbines have increased tourism on the island.
Corey Lang, URI associate professor
of environmental economics, and doctoral student Andrew Carr-Harris, said that
many coastal communities that rely on tourism to sustain their economy have
worried that offshore wind farms would negatively affect tourism.
“It’s a common argument for pushback
against siting offshore wind, but there isn’t a lot of empirical evidence about
it one way or the other,” said Lang.
“There have been surveys done assessing how tourists might feel about it, based on potential images of turbines in offshore waters, but those are hypothetical.”
“There have been surveys done assessing how tourists might feel about it, based on potential images of turbines in offshore waters, but those are hypothetical.”
““Some of the recent surveys suggest that people consider offshore wind farms to be an eyesore,” said Carr-Harris. “People tend to think the turbines will ruin the seascape and detract from their beach experience.”
The researchers collected lodging
data from AirBnB to examine trends in monthly revenues, occupancy rates and
reservations from roughly two years before construction of the turbines to one
year after construction was completed.
They compared AirBnB rental trends in Block Island to those in nearby communities that are also dependent on summer vacation rentals – Narragansett, Westerly and Nantucket.
They compared AirBnB rental trends in Block Island to those in nearby communities that are also dependent on summer vacation rentals – Narragansett, Westerly and Nantucket.
The results were almost entirely
positive for the peak summer months of July and August, and there were no
noticeable effects during the rest of the year.
During July and August following
construction of the turbines, AirBnB rentals in Block Island experienced, on
average, a 19 percent increase in occupancy rates and a $3490 increase in
monthly revenue compared to those in Narragansett, Westerly and Nantucket.
“We have multiple indicators for the
tourism market, and they seem to be indicative that there was an increase in
interest in visiting Block Island in the year after construction of the wind
farm,” said Lang.
While the data didn’t indicate the
reason for the increase in occupancy, Lang and Carr-Harris suggest that people
were curious about the wind farm and wanted to see it for themselves.
“I think there has been some
excitement about it. People are excited about renewable energy and
sustainability, and they want to get behind it,” Lang said. “So for the
nation’s first offshore wind farm, we believe our results indicate that it has
had a positive effect on tourism.”
“There are other factors that could
be at play, too,” said Carr-Harris. “It’s perceived that there is better
fishing near the turbines, for instance, so more people may be coming to the
island to go fishing.”
The researchers noted that the
curiosity factor may dissipate shortly, so the positive effects on vacation
rentals may not persist for long.
“The long-term trajectory might be
very different,” Lang said. “If it’s driven by curiosity, then we might expect
it to go back to normal. But if there are fundamental things that have changed,
like better fishing, then it’s likely that some enhanced opportunities that
come from renewable energy may be sustained. But that’s speculation.”
Also, because the Block Island Wind
Farm is the first of its kind in North America, it may be generating more
tourism interest than will future wind farms, they said. And a small wind farm
like at Block Island may not generate the negative impressions that a much
larger wind farm may generate in the future.
“So it’s difficult to extrapolate
our results to other communities,” said Lang. “But it mitigates some fear that
there’s going to be big negatives.”
Lang plans to follow up this study
with an investigation of perceptions of the wind farm from the perspective of
those who live on Block Island year-round.
“It’s one thing to look at a turbine
for a few days and be mesmerized by it,” he said. “But to have it there
constantly may be different.”
The research was published in the
journal Resource and Energy Economics. Funding was provided by
Rhode Island Sea Grant.