The tiny town of Damascus, Virginia has been transformed into a thriving center for cycling recreation. This town of about 300 residents now supports one pro-cycling shop, six shuttle services, numerous bed and breakfasts and a trailside catering service. The community aggressively protects its resources, because the resource brings in revenue. Simply telling people to love the land without giving them any benefits from it, or by actively removing the land from their use, has not worked in many places. It is only by linking local residents with their resources through nature tourism that the interests of both community and environment can best be served.
Nature tourism is simply another economic development tool, bringing with it jobs and revenue.
Nature tourism differs from traditional attraction-based tourism, because the attraction is the natural habitat as it is. It does not cost money to build, and the minimal improvements that need to be made signage, roadside pullouts, feeders can be inexpensively done, and can often be funded by public agencies. The people engaged in this type of tourism tend to be educated and ready to spend. The success of the Texas birding trail has been so significant that Florida, Virginia and California are planning to develop trails on the Texas model. Nor is it limited to North America.