As certain elements of the industry have came under fire it could be very useful to present some of these economic studies to the public to show how important boating is to your area. The basic methods for doing economic impact studies have been established by the government which also supplies several excellent resources and examples. The basic concept is there are 3 types of impact. For boaters it would be gas, oil, new boat, trailer, food, lodging, boating fees, boat registrations, etc. For factories it would be things like new buildings, tooling, raw materials, labor, and taxes paid into the area under study.
Direct Impacts are immediate consequences of economic activity.
For boaters it could be items purchased by convenience stores for sale to boaters. Gasoline and oil purchased by stations for sale to boaters, advertising purchased by lodges to bring in boaters. For factories it could be raw materials purchased by their suppliers, supplier labor costs, community store employees needed to sell goods to factory workers. For example, the local stores pay their people who then spend a portion of their income in the community to others who in turn do the same. The money eventually leaks out of the area being studied after several rounds.