Costly Walking: Why Is Outdoor Recreation SO Expensive?
Everyone understands the benefits of the great outdoors, but what about the billion dollar industry behind it?
The outdoor recreation industry continues to be lucrative year after year. Outdoor recreation is a broad term, but it provides an umbrella for enthusiasts in: camping, fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing, motorcycling, off-roading, snow sports, trail sports, water sports and wheel sports.
A majority of the reported revenue, 74%, goes to costs associated with participating in these sports, referred to as “trip and travel” spending by the Outdoor Industry Association. However, the remaining 26%, or $184.5 billion is spent directly on equipment used in outdoor recreation. The amount of revenue generated through outdoor recreation is vital to so many communities around the world. Outdoor recreation keeps many communities alive just through the money it generates through tourism.
Locally
Fort Collins directly benefits from the booming outdoor recreation industry. Whether tourists are directly putting money into our local economy by supporting our fly shops, summer rafting companies or visiting our natural areas, or generating money by their sales tax dollars, the outdoor recreation industry in Fort Collins benefits greatly. According to Visit Fort Collins, tourism generates more than $11.3 million in tax revenue and $58 million in household income. The money generated by taxes goes directly back into our communities for taking care of the beautiful parks, and to create more areas for outdoor recreation.
Why So Expensive?
Every outdoor activity has a price tag. Others are more expensive than others, but almost all of them have a steep barrier of entry. For some, the cost of entry is too much to dream of participating. Personally, I have built my hiking/camping kit up over multiple years. This allows to buy higher quality gear to begin with, with room to upgrade in the future. Make the mistake of assembling the cheapest kit you can, and run the risk of having a bad experience or having to spend more money upgrading in the future. This method of piece-mailing a kit together works best for most people and allows more people to enjoy these activities.
Although, even after assembling a kit of gear, there are still costs associated with getting outside. Mentioned earlier, the “trip and travel” costs of the sports. A lot of places require permits, $$$; some require extensive travel to get to, $$$; and some areas are just flat out more expensive than others.
In Conclusion
The gloomy question I am left with is: If outdoor recreation continues to get more expensive, will anyone be able to afford it? The simple answer is yes, the rich get richer and will continue spending money were they see fit (clearly in the outdoor industry) but the longer answer is that the outdoor industry could be doing themselves a disservice by alienating a large part of the market. By excluding younger, less affluent audiences the outdoor industry is turning the outdoors into an exclusive space. That is not what the outdoors are about. The outdoors should be inclusive, and the outdoor industry should do whatever they can to bring more people in and foster their interest in the outdoors.
