Back in the days of quarantine, there was a surge in people getting outside. COVID provided an excuse to get some fresh air and exercise.
A new national report would suggest that as inconvenient as the pandemic proved to be on many fronts, many Americans put in place better dietary and outdoor recreation routines. Now, a few years out, we can see that the ripple effect of those actions has had a positive impact on the economy.
Vermont, in particular, has seen significant numbers of folks visiting the state since the pandemic to take in our natural gifts.
According to the state, there are 60 million potential tourists who live within a day's drive. According to a news release from the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative last year, "many visit to move in our scenic mountains, after which they stay overnight at our lodges, dine at local restaurants, and shop at local retailers, helping to sustain the small businesses that are the fabric of our communities. Visitor spending creates jobs, generates tax revenue, drives growth in the state's overall economy, and helps maintain our natural landscape as a vital economic resource."
"The ripple effect of outdoor recreation is visible in our vibrant downtowns and village centers with Vermonters and visitors focused on healthy outdoor pursuits and innovative businesses attracting employees to be part of building the communities we want to live in," said Kelly Ault, executive director of the Vermont Outdoor Business Alliance, in that news release.
According to VOBA, "the state has 8,000-plus miles of public-access trails, including the Appalachian, Long, Catamount and Cross Vermont trails, and including the newly opened 93-mile Lamoille Valley Rail Trail, along with 40 alpine and ski areas with over 8,800 skiable miles, hundreds of navigable waterways, a growing hut system and the Velomont trail, Vermont is rich in recreational opportunities and assets."
That comes down to investing in outdoor recreation at the community level can continue to foster Vermont's visitor economy, through support for workforce recruitment and retention, bike- and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, and our small businesses, VOBA said at the time.
So how much of this growth in outdoor recreation can be attributed to COVID?
Maria Villarreal, a survey statistician in the Census Bureau's Accommodations, Entertainment and Consumer Services Branch, said her division took a "detailed look at estimated revenue of employer firms for select indoor and outdoor recreation industries affected by COVID-19 and a glimpse into their recovery.
According to Villarreal, many fitness, recreation and other social activities moved outdoors when the pandemic began in 2020. An estimated 7.1 million more Americans enjoyed an outdoor activity in 2020 -- the first year of the pandemic -- than in 2019, according to the Outdoor Industry Association's 2021 Outdoor Participation Trends Report.
In 2020, 53% of Americans ages 6 and older participated in outdoor recreation at least once, the highest participation rate on record, she wrote this week.
"As the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged communities and forced a nationwide shutdown, outdoor spaces became places of refuge to safely socialize, improve physical and mental health, connect with family and recover from screen fatigue. Remarkably, 7.1 million more Americans participated in outdoor recreation in 2020 than in the year prior. Despite these gains, nearly half of the U.S. population did not share in the proven, positive health outcomes of outdoor physical activity," she wrote.
The increase in outdoor activity is also reflected in the nation's Gross Domestic Product. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, inflation-adjusted GDP for the outdoor recreation economy increased 18.9% in 2021, compared to a 5.9% for the overall U.S. economy.
Notably, the Outdoor Participation Trend Report found:
-- Just over 48% of females ages 6 and older participated in 2020, up from 46% in 2019.
-- In 2020, 160.7 million Americans ages 6 and older participated in at least one outdoor activity.
-- In each of the last three years, the number of outdoor participants has grown more than 3% annually, which would suggest that some of those outdoor habits have become routines.
Participants went on a collective 11.4 billion outdoor outings. Despite a COVID-related jump, the number of times that participants engaged in outdoor recreation continued to decline in recent years.
Overall, though, the Census Bureau could confirm that COVID-19 inspired huge participation growth.
Economically, golf courses and country clubs saw decreases initially, but have rebounded since. The same is true for the nation's ski areas, as well as bowling alleys and amusement and theme parks.
According to the Census report, "While select recreation industries experienced double-digit percent decreases in revenues in 2020, they experienced double-digit percent increases in 2021."
Still, 2021 revenue for some industries did not fully rebound to the pre-pandemic levels of 2019.
At the time of quarantine and the height of the pandemic, we were searching for silver linings. Apparently there was one after all. Hopefully, it means more healthy Vermonters, and a healthy economy for the state's robust outdoor recreation industry.
--Rutland Herald. January 19, 2024.