Conflicting threat perceptions at a rural agricultural fair

Abstract

Tourism is a major industry in Pennsylvania, second only to agriculture. This paper examines their nexus, the rural agricultural fair. The Bloomsburg Fair provides an opportunity to explore risk management for tourism. This event, now in its 150th year, inundates a town of 12,000 with 500,000+ visitors in an 8-day period. Employing a survey of fairgoer behavior, this study explored contrasts between fairgoer and management concerns over a variety of natural and human-induced threats. It also investigated the challenges present in maintaining a quality recreational experience while simultaneously providing adequate fairgoer protection. The findings indicate that fairgoers place greater emphasis on high-probability, low-consequence events while the fair emergency management plan is largely focused on low-probability, high-consequence events such as terrorism. This disconnect suggests that a failure to understand the concerns of the fairgoer or to recognize other threats facing a destination while focusing heavily on low-probability events may create a recreation environment that is relatively less safe overall.