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Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, Economic Impact Study

Senior Economic Development Specialist and Graduate Assistants Katie Lee and Sadhana Manthapuri speak to tourists visiting the Battle of New Market site.

The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation contracted the Virginia Tech Center for Economic and Community Engagement (CECE) to conduct an economic impact study for battlefield sites across eight counties with a specific focus on New Market, Virginia. CECE analyzed available secondary data, such as employment related to heritage tourism, tourist spending, and seasonal impacts on the local economies to understand the impact in the 8-county region. 

Battlefield tourism research puts graduate assistants on the front lines