Pike County officials believe another whitewater rafting course in eastern Kentucky will boost tourism and the economy.

Officials want to create a man-made whitewater rafting course in the mountains at Breaks Interstate Park. They visited a man-made course on top of a mountain in Maryland a few weeks ago and think they can do the same thing at the Kentucky-Virginia line.

“With our natural beauty, we have four distinctive seasons in this part of the world, I think we could attract a fabulous amount of men and women because this is a family oriented facility,” says John Gatling of Pike County Economic Development.

The Maryland course draws several hundred thousand visitors a year. Officials are discussing the idea with Breaks Interstate Park managers.