So often people look for entertainment in all sorts of far-flung places, causing great expense and a lot of stress. Americans however, need to be made more aware of what is available, in nature, right here!!!! Yes, the great outdoors!
According to a report put together by the organization that evaluates America’s GDP – the Bureau of Economic Analysis – outdoor recreation comprises 2 percent of the nation’s GDP.The industry has a gross national output of $673 billion and growing faster than the entire American economy. This figure is higher than other principal industries including: agriculture, petroleum and coal products manufacturing, and computer and electronics manufacturing. The report also found that the industry has a gross national output of $673 billion and is growing at a faster pace than the overall U.S. economy
As such, outdoor recreation – yes, our outdoors – is finding its own place on the government’s agenda. Ryan Zinke, US Secretary of the Interior recently put forward two new initiatives pushing the federal government to make outdoor recreation a national priority for the foreseeable future. These are:
- Designation of a senior level official at the Interior Department to supervise outdoor recreation, while safeguarding the needs of the country’s recreation aficionados.
- A stipulation that all major departmental offices will outline their own plans for how they will advance new outdoor recreation opportunities AND bolster the current ones.
A new recreation advisory committee will also be created; one of its tasks will be to offer the secretary “diverse viewpoints on steps that can be taken to improve outdoor recreation in the United States.”
These sentiments of how the great outdoors positively impact the US economy have been echoed here, with a finding that: “outdoor recreation is a vital economic force that not only creates billions in spending and millions of good-paying American jobs, but also creates healthier communities, healthier economies and healthier people.”
Executive director of the Outdoor Industry Association, Amy Roberts noted that:
“One-hundred and forty-five million Americans, from all walks of life, participate in outdoor recreation every year, and 7.6 million Americans have good-paying jobs that rely on the outdoor recreation economy. These reports show that all districts have something to gain when our federal and local policymakers support our public lands and waters and invest in outdoor recreation. Outdoor recreation provides much-needed diversity to local economies, but also brings this country together. Across our country we have seen members of Congress, governors, state legislators, mayors and other policymakers understand the value of outdoor recreation for their local economies and communities. It is critical that we continue to invest in and support this growing and powerful recreation economy so that we can all continue to thrive outside.”
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