A statewide recreation trail could be in Eastern Kentucky's future. It could offer more jobs and visitors from all over the world. The Kentucky tourism industry brings in billions of dollars every year and employs thousands of people, but could those numbers grow even more?

In Harlan County, "Adventure Tourism" has been taking off in the last several years. So far, it's created 80 new jobs and brings in nearly two hundred dollars a day per visitor. With thousands of acres of abandoned mining roads in other counties, this new industry has potential to accelerate all over Kentucky.

Adventure Tourism is not arcades and water parks even though you might still get a little bit wet. With 53 state parks in Kentucky, people visit every year to take a glimpse at our rolling landscapes, or get shaken up on an ATV trail. In Harlan County, off road trails have brought a huge increase in revenue, but tourists are visiting more than just the trail.

"They don't just come and ride, they see what else is going on in Harlan County. They go to the coal mining museum, they take a day off and go to the lake or go fishing and go to the beach," said Preston McLean with the Ridge Runners ATV Club.

What has worked in Harlan County could work all over Eastern Kentucky. In southern Perry County, in an area once occupied by the Blue Diamond Mine, lays more than 60,000 acres of abandoned mining road, an area that could be developed into a trail system for ATV's or horseback riding. If developed, Senator Daniel Mongiardo believes the trails would bring in tourists from all over the world.

"If we can expand this and develop this into a statewide network, we're gonna see I believe, the second largest industry in Eastern Kentucky," Mongiardo said.

Business owners nearby to the potential trail development would also benefit.

"We get a lot of business from these people and it would really bring a lot of business to the area," said Store Clerk Franklin Mayhew.

For now, development of the trails in the Perry County area is still a ways off. However today, Daniel Mongiardo, who's running for lieutenant governor, announced that he and Steve Beshear will explore returning the department of tourism to a cabinet position if they were elected. They also support Adventure Tourism and plan to really push to have these trails developed.