The Economic Contributions of Human-Powered Outdoor Recreation to the US Economy

Rob Southwick, John Bergstrom and Clint Wall
Additional contact information
Rob Southwick: Southwick Associates, Inc, Fernandina Beach, FL, USA
John Bergstrom: Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, 208 Conner Hall, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
Clint Wall: Outdoor Industry Association, Boulder, CO, USA

Tourism Economics, 2009, vol. 15, issue 4, 709-733

Abstract: This paper presents a comprehensive assessment of the economic contributions of the major forms of human-powered outdoor recreation, including trail-based recreation, bicycle-based recreation, paddle-based recreation, snow-based recreation and camp-based recreation. The results show that the combined economic contributions of human-powered recreation to the US economy exceed US$590 billion annually in total gross output, supporting over five million jobs. Other studies estimate that wildlife-based recreation contributes another US$140 billion annually in total gross output to the US economy, making a total contribution of US$730 billion from both human-powered and wildlife-based recreation. Active outdoor recreation not only strengthens the US economy but also improves the quality of life for participants.

Keywords: outdoor recreation; human-powered; regional and national economic contributions; output; jobs; income (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:toueco:v:15:y:2009:i:4:p:709-733

DOI: 10.5367/000000009789955198

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