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Events and Tourism Review Vol. 2 No. 2 (Fall 2019), 68-75, DOI: 10.18060/23259 

Copyright © 2019 Nripendra Singh and Kristen Kealey. 

 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribuion 4.0 International License. 

 

Events and Tourism Review 
 

December 2019 

 

Volume 2 No. 2 

 

 

Understanding Millennials’ Motivations to Visit State Parks: An Exploratory Study 
 

Nripendra Singh 

Clarion University Of Pennsylvania 

 

Kristen Kealey 

Clarion University Of Pennsylvania 

 
  

 

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Recommended Citation 

Singh, N., & Kealey, K. (2019). Understanding Millennials’ Motivations to Visit State Parks: 

An Exploratory Study. Events and Tourism Review, 2(2), 68-75. 

 

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Singh, N., & Kealey, K. (2019) / Events and Tourism Review, 2(2), 68-75.      

  69 

 

 
Events and Tourism Review Vol. 2 No. 2 (Fall 2019), 68-75, DOI: 10.18060/23259 

Copyright © 2019 Nripendra Singh and Kristen Kealey. 

 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

 

 

 

Abstract 

 

State Park’s scenic stretches of flowing rivers and large lakes are popular for canoeing, 

kayaking, and tubing, but how much of these interests’ millennials are not much explored. 

This exploratory study aims to understand millennials’ motivations to visit state parks and the 

influence of social media pictures of such outdoor activities. The push-pull theory is being 

used to understand the motivational factors such as sightseeing, relaxation, and amenities 

using secondary data. Preliminary results suggest a big gap in state parks’ information 

reaching millennials’ via social media. The study is unique as it focuses on millennials’ 

motivations to visit state parks, which is not much studied. 

 

Keywords: State Park, Millennials, Millennials Motivation, Outdoor Attractions, Social Media 

 

Introduction 

 

In recent years, there has been a worldwide decline in national park visitation. The recent 

data on annual visitation by National Park Services (n.d.) provide evidence of the declining 

numbers of visitors in state parks. Whether it is based on the different categories of visitors or 

types of state parks, there is negative growth in every category as compared to the previous year, 

see Table 1.  

 

Table 1. Comparison of visitors by category of visitors - 2017 to 2018  

 

 

 

2018 2017 Difference % 

Difference 

Recreation Visits 318,211,833 330,882,751 -12,670,918 -3.98 

Recreation Visitor Hours 1,401,420,191 1,446,970,688 -45,550,497 -3.25 

Non-Recreation Visits 170,330,751 172,112,736 -1,781,985 -1.05 

Non-Recreation Visitor Hours 92,456,496 94,678,396 -2,221,900 -2.40 

Concessioner Lodging Overnights 3,106,897 3,437,279 -330,382 -10.63 

Concessioner Camping Overnights 1,354,739 1,447,861 -93,122 -6.87 

Tent Camper Overnights 3,539,141 3,734,119 -194,978 -5.51 

Recreation Vehicle (RV) 

Overnights 

2,474,784 2,460,834 13,950 

 

0.56 

 

Backcountry Overnights 1,922,028 2,074,773 -152,745 -7.95 

Miscellaneous Overnights (Groups 

and Aboard Boats) 

1,518,566 1,610,127 -91,561 

 

-6.03 

 

Non-Recreation Overnights 34,612 38,752 -4,140 -11.96 

Total Overnight Stays 13,950,759 14,803,755 -852,996 -6.11 
Source: Adapted from Annual Visitation Summary Report of National Park Services  

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Singh, N., & Kealey, K. (2019) / Events and Tourism Review, 2(2), 68-75.      

  70 

 

 
Events and Tourism Review Vol. 2 No. 2 (Fall 2019), 68-75, DOI: 10.18060/23259 

Copyright © 2019 Nripendra Singh and Kristen Kealey. 

 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

 

With an aging population and constantly increasing demand on the natural environment, 

the need to engage a technology-driven, young generation in conservation and nature is more 

important than before (Ramsay, Dodds, Furtado, Mykhayletska, Kirichenko, & Majedian, 2017). 

By encouraging younger people to connect with nature and learn about the environment, it is 

expected that state parks will see a spike in the number of visitors. Millennials have entered or 

are in the process of entering into the workforce and are incredibly technologically savvy. These 

two factors position this demographic to influence economic and tourist-related trends. An 

understanding of their motivations will help better planning by the state parks.  

Millennials have grown up in a technology-driven era, which has resulted in this 

generation highly dependent on it (Moscardo, Murphy, & Benckendorff, 2011).  Today, the use 

of social media is so common that the internet has become a platform for users to share 

information with others (Li & Wang, 2011; Thevenot, 2007). The increasing popularity of social 

media allows users to share blogs, photos, videos, and reviews with other users, which influences 

those user’s decision making (Gretzel, 2006; White & White, 2007). Thus, it is intuitively 

assumed that millennial’s decision-making can be influenced by making better use of social 

media marketing strategies such as appropriate platforms and images on social media (Ramsay et 

al., 2017).  

The annual visitation data from National Park Services (n.d.) suggest that except for 

international historic sites, all the other 17 types of state parks have negative growth in the 

number of visitors to the parks, see Table 2. Just one example from Pennsylvania, Allegheny 

Portage Railroad National Historic Site, suggests that the traffic count has drastically reduced 

from the previous year, see Table 3 (National Park Services, n.d.).  

Established in 1927, Cook Forest State Park is an 8,500-acre Pennsylvania state park in 

Clarion, Forest and Jefferson Counties and has been identified as a National Natural Landmark 

with its stands of old-growth forest. A scenic 13-mile stretch of the Clarion River flows through 

Cook Forest State Park and is popular for canoeing, kayaking, and tubing. Cook Forest also 

offers recreational activities such as hiking, biking, camping, horseback riding, and several more 

in addition to those stated. For the 2017 year, The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and 

Natural Resources (DNCR) estimated that around 492,460 tourists visited Cook Forest, which 

shows its economic impact on the region (Pennsylvania DNCR). Cook Forest has more than six 

colleges and universities within two hours of travel time by road. Because of this proximity with 

universities in Pennsylvania, this study utilizes student populations as surrogates for millennials. 

Thus, the purpose of this study is to understand the motivations and influences of millennials to 

visit state parks (e.g., Cook Forest).  

 

Literature Review 

      

Social media marketing is a form of Internet marketing that utilizes social networking 

websites as a marketing tool (Punithavathi & Vasudevan, 2018). Social media is reshaping how 

tourists find their next place to visit. Social media has changed tourism in a way that marketers 

and the destination itself no longer have control over how people view the destinations (Hays, 

Page, & Buhalis, 2013). Studies have been conducted to investigate the extent to which social 

media appear in search engine results in the context of travel-related searches. Social media 

constitute a substantial part of the search results, search engines direct travelers to social media 

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Events and Tourism Review Vol. 2 No. 2 (Fall 2019), 68-75, DOI: 10.18060/23259 

Copyright © 2019 Nripendra Singh and Kristen Kealey. 

 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

 

sites (Xiang, & Gretzel, 2010). The role and use of social media play a huge part in decision-

making when an individual chooses a destination of travel (Leung, Law, van Hoof, & Buhalis, 

2013).  

 

Table 2. Comparison of visitors by type of parks - 2017 to 2018  

 

 

 

2018 2017 Difference % Difference 

International Historic Site 12,001 11,872 129 1.07 

National Battlefield 1,857,039 1,964,826 -107,787 -5.80 

National Battlefield Park 3,531,060 3,662,129 -131,069 -3.71 

National Historic Site 8,664,509 9,668,115 -1,003,606 -11.58 

National Historical Park 33,161,620 35,241,069 -2,079,449 -6.27 

National Lakeshore 2,711,828 2,662,737 49,091 1.81 

National Memorial 38,111,959 40,645,496 -2,533,537 -6.65 

National Military Park 4,347,012 4,698,928 -351,916 -8.10 

National Monument 22,180,695 23,332,194 -1,151,499 -5.19 

National Park 85,878,500 87,610,269 -1,731,769 -2.02 

National Parkway 29,846,041 31,415,912 -1,569,871 -5.26 

National Preserve 3,427,318 3,446,867 -19,549 -0.57 

National Recreation Area 51,022,484 52,107,818 -1,085,334 -2.13 

National Reserve 142,250 130,276 11,974 8.42 

National River 4,915,331 5,003,218 -87,887 -1.79 

National Seashore 18,325,744 18,472,367 -146,623 -0.80 

National Wild & Scenic River 1,385,082 1,473,844 -88,762 -6.41 

Park (Other) 8,691,360 9,334,814 -643,454 -7.40 
Source: Adapted from Annual Visitation Summary Report of National Park Services  

 

Table 3. Traffic Count: Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site (June) 

 

  

 
2018 2017 Difference % Difference 

At Dry Run Road Trailhead 2,409 2,677 -268 -11.12 

At Main Entrance 1,866 2,489 -623 -33.39 

At Picnic Area 2,317 2,666 -349 -15.06 

At Staple Bend Tunnel 1,748 2,138 -390 -22.31 
Source: Adapted from Annual Visitation Summary Report of National Park Services  

 

The overall image tourists and residents have of a destination can greatly influence how 

these individuals experience the destination, and whether they are inclined to return or 

recommend the destination to others. The overall impression is a key factor in visitors’ decision-

making, but other environmental factors, such as scenery, climate, and friendliness of locals, are 

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Events and Tourism Review Vol. 2 No. 2 (Fall 2019), 68-75, DOI: 10.18060/23259 

Copyright © 2019 Nripendra Singh and Kristen Kealey. 

 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

 

also salient when determining destination image and rate of return (Stylidis, Shani, & Belhassen, 

2017). Adventure and excitement were found to be strongly correlated to visitors returning to a 

destination. Cleanliness, safety, and hospitality were also strong factors when visitors considered 

returning to a location (Akin, Shaw, & Spartz, 2015). Experiential marketing is becoming a new 

trend. Attractions such as kayaking, hiking, biking, and camping are popular among millennials 

if marketed appropriately (Henry, 2016). For the tourism industry, it is important to convey and 

communicate the identity of a place using the tourist destination website. According to Perez and 

Del Bosque (2014), identity can be conveyed through visual manifestation. Thus, similarly, a 

tourist destination website is influenced by the identity of the place. This link between identity 

and website is potentially useful for marketers as it can represent a dimension of difference that 

is impossible for competitors to duplicate (Foroudi, Nazl, Ageeva, Foroudi, Dennis, & Melewar, 

2018).  

 Through websites such as Flickr, users can share pictures of a destination visited, and 

while sharing the photos, flicker users have the ability to add a geotag to the pictures. A geotag 

will allow other users to not only see the pictures that are uploaded but also see the exact location 

of those pictures. These technological features help users to visit specific destinations (Wood, 

Guerry, Silver, & Lacayo, 2013). Research has shown that repeat visitors to a location are more 

likely to return than first-time visitors, therefore repeat visitors use social media and travel 

websites to share and promote their experiences and make recommendations (Akin, Shaw, & 

Spartz, 2015). 

 In a study, Kesterson (2013) found that university students in the millennial age range in 

Arkansas were “Highly Likely to Visit” State Parks.  In total, the results showed that out of 424 

students surveyed, 320 were likely or highly likely to visit a state park in Arkansas. These 

findings suggest that millennials travel to state parks can be used to fulfill the need for adventure 

without being tied to history. Millennials are defined broadly as being tech-savvy and using 

technology when making travel plans and ideas. Marketing to this demographic using such a 

medium may be a way to overcome barriers and attract this key tourist segment who in turn may 

help increase environmental protection (Ramsay et al., 2017).  Nikjoo and Ketabi (2015) found 

that tourists who identify their vacation as an “escape” tend to travel to places with a more 

relaxing and comfortable atmosphere. Other push factors (factors that create customer demand) 

influence include destinations with recreational and cultural opportunities for knowledge and the 

perceived social status of the individual (Nikjoo & Ketabi, 2015). Thus, this study proposes to 

answer two broad research questions: 

1. What are the motivations for millennials to visit state parks? 

2. What influences millennial’s decision to visit state parks? 

 

Methodology 

  

This exploratory study utilized a descriptive research design to understand and describe 

millennial's behavior and influences towards outdoor activities. A survey consisting of 21 

questions was adapted from literature (Kesterson, 2013). Images on outdoor activities were 

shown to the respondents in some questions. Respondents showed their interest in the outdoor 

activities portrayed in the images/picture on a five-point Likert scale. This survey was developed 

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Events and Tourism Review Vol. 2 No. 2 (Fall 2019), 68-75, DOI: 10.18060/23259 

Copyright © 2019 Nripendra Singh and Kristen Kealey. 

 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

 

using Qualtric's trial account and was disseminated by posting the link on Facebook pages of the 

authors and their colleagues to reach prospective participants. The goal of spreading the survey 

in this manner was to reach as many students as possible, and gain at least 100 usable responses 

for pilot testing. One hundred and three (103) people took the survey within a month. Multiple 

regression was used to analyze the data. 

 

Data Analysis 

 

Twenty (20) responses were disregarded from data analysis. Thirteen (13) responses were 

eliminated because respondents gave their grade level as “Other,” indicating that these 

respondents were probably not within the demographic group the authors aimed to study. Four 

responses were eliminated because the data were incomplete and could not be fully analyzed. 

Three responses were eliminated because the respondents indicated that they have never visited 

Cook Forest. These responses could not be included because their input would not give a clear 

image of the motivations of millennials to visit the specific location in the study. Multiple 

regression and correlation matrix were used to analyze the remaining data.  

 

Results and Discussion  

 

Results were compiled to assess the effects of each variable on key areas affecting 

millennials’ motivation and influences to visit Cook Forest. One of the key findings suggests that 

there is a big gap in State Parks information reaching the millennials’ even though they use 

social media (less than 15%). The results from the pilot study show that most millennials’ despite 

being close to a State Park, did not even visit it, which showed that respondents were least 

interested in outdoor activities in state parks (less than 30%). Most of them did not show a 

positive response towards images showing State Park and outdoor events. Due to the above 

reasons, limited results from the pilot study are discussed below.    

 

Table 4. Regression Influence of Social Media Posts & Revisit Intention 

 

  

Coefficients 

 

Standard Error 

 

t-stat 

 

p-value 

 

Lower 

95% 

Upper 

95% 

Intercept 2.92 0.45 6.47 6.89E 2.02 3.81 

SM-3 0.32 0.2 1.62 0.1 -0.07 0.7 

 

         For example, see the regression analysis results in Table 4, with the variable Influence of 

Social Media Posts and Revisit Intention, as the test variable. This regression resulted in a P-

value of 0.161, which is not statistically significant; it did result in a positive coefficient of 0.315. 

The result does not support the assumption that increased and more focused use of social media 

would likely positively influence tourism to Cook Forest. Another finding suggests that a high 

number of respondents reported Instagram as their most used social media platform (72%). 

Responsiveness of individuals to posts such as the number of interactions or likelihood of 

sharing a post with others could be analyzed to determine which forms of social media are the 

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Events and Tourism Review Vol. 2 No. 2 (Fall 2019), 68-75, DOI: 10.18060/23259 

Copyright © 2019 Nripendra Singh and Kristen Kealey. 

 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

 

best for influencing tourists by tourist destinations. The regression from the pilot data does not 

support the assumption that increasing the social media presence of state parks, would help 

generate more tourism among millennials, this could be due to the lack of the appropriate 

number of sample size.  

 

Conclusion and Implications 

 

The pilot study results will inform a larger study to be conducted at a later date. This pilot 

study revealed a big gap in state parks information reaching millennials’ even with social media. 

Though the findings need to be validated through further study, the current findings suggest that 

state parks need to develop a better social media marketing strategy to attract millennials. 

Platforms such as Instagram is more popular among millennials than Facebook.  

This study has huge implications on the government exchequer as revenue earned from 

state parks is direct earnings for states. The current status of visitors is in decline, which can be 

improved by utilizing social media and influencing the young generation such as millennials.      

Limitations to be considered when assessing these results are fourfold. First, data 

collection was limited to students as this was a pilot study. Second, not all students were willing 

to participate in a survey that they knew little about, which shows Cook Forest needs to increase 

awareness among millennials in their local community. Third, due to the use of Qualtric’s trial 

account, not all features were available to be used in this survey, including the inability to access 

more than 100 responses. Fourth, there were time and resource constraints to design the 

questionnaire and collect data as it was a class project.  

Further research could be done to find out the responsiveness of tourists between various forms 

of social media, frequency, and types of recreational/vacation-based activities that millennials 

prefer to engage in. 

 

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Events and Tourism Review Vol. 2 No. 2 (Fall 2019), 68-75, DOI: 10.18060/23259 

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