For years, the “only” option for describing an airport’s economic contribution to the region seemed to be “white paper” economic impact studies that looked like academic reports: long narratives with tables. Some featured an executive summary, an appendix describing the approach and methodology, and a glossary of terms. If the analysis included the economic impact of visitor spending, it might describe the methodology for developing the estimates.

Such detailed reports were useful for quantifying the on-airport and related economic impacts of commercial and general aviation (including visitor spending). Careful readers could understand the methodology used, assumptions applied, and limitations of the analysis.

On the other hand, such reports also have shortcomings:

• Only the most interested readers ventured beyond the executive summary.
• More casual readers or potential consumers of the information (the general public) likely did not understand much of the information presented.
• Most obviously, the reports did not incorporate reliable information on the effect of aviation in broader regional economies.

This section includes tips and suggestions on how to better communicate airport contributions to a regional economy. Delivering that message has multiple steps:

1. Understand your audience.
2. Identify the appropriate level of information.
3. Determine whether the information is available or needs to be developed.
4. Address challenges with explaining some concepts.
5. Use graphics to make the point.
6. Decide which options to use for the final product.