Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Federal Outdoor Recreation Economic Report Shows Motorized Use is Significant Contributor

Backcountry Touring in 4WD Vehicles
Tahoe National Forest

QWR commends the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)recent release of new prototype statistics from the Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account (ORSA) that shows that the outdoor recreation economy accounted for 2.0 percent ($373.7 billion) of current-dollar GDP in 2016 (table 1). In addition, the outdoor recreation economy grew 3.8 percent in 2016, compared to growth of 2.8 percent in the overall economy.

Riders and Families Enjoy Shasta Dam GP
BLM Shasta-Chappie OHV Area - Redding, CA


The BEA stated that the historical lack of detailed federal data regarding outdoor recreational activities has handicapped both the private and public sectors. They also said the release is a milestone for business executives, small-business owners, entrepreneurs, and government officials, who will rely on these detailed data to plan, grow, and gain new insights into this dynamic part of the U.S. economy.

LINK TO BEA REPORT


The BEA data (see chart below) showed that Motorized Vehicles was the largest activity within conventional outdoor recreation in 2016, accounting for $59.4 billion of gross output. Recreational vehicles accounted for more than half of this value at $30.0 billion.



QWR believes this analysis supports other recreation-based economic impact reports which show that motorized recreation is a significant contributor to the economy.

RVs with OHV Line Up to Enter a KOA Campground
OR Dunes National Recreation Area

QWR also encourages both private and public sector stakeholders to contact the BEA with comments on this preliminary report.  Your comments are due by April 27, 2018. 

Send comments to: OutdoorRecreation@bea.gov

  

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