State of the outdoor rec industry
Participation in outdoor recreation is healthy and robust, at least partially because the early days of the pandemic drove people to enjoy socially distanced outdoor activities. But now that much of the world has relaxed back into a new normal, holding on to outdoor enthusiasts is proving trickier.
Understanding the state of the outdoor recreation industry is crucial for marketers, and the Outdoor Foundation’s 2022 Outdoor Participation Trends Report details the outlook heading into 2023. Let’s break it down.
Love for the outdoors is alive and well
The Outdoor Foundation reports that the outdoor recreation participant base has increased 6.9% since the pandemic began in early 2020. Outdoor activities were seen as safe, fun recreational opportunities at the height of stay-at-home orders and social distancing restrictions.
The pandemic shined new light on the mental and physical health benefits of the great outdoors—core values that experts in the outdoor rec industry have known about for generations. In a 2020 National Recreation and Park Association survey, about 82% of people in the U.S. described parks and recreation as “essential.”
Even though many of the pandemic’s official restrictions on indoor entertainment ended in 2021, the renewed interest in outdoor experiences ignited by the pandemic hasn’t gone away—but it has slowed. Today’s challenge is to feed the reinvigorated love of the outdoors with feel-good reminders and invitations to participate.
The bookends of outdoor participation
Outdoor participation is not centered in any age group, but America’s children are spending more time outdoors over the past decade. The pandemic accelerated that trend. The percentage of America’s kids participating in outdoor recreation was high in 2021, at just over 70%.
Another notable 2022 outdoor participation trend is among people ages 55 and older, a group that made up 43% of the total increase in participation since 2019. Senior participants ages 65 and older were in the fastest-growing age category, with 16.9% growth since the pandemic began. This older demographic tends to have time, money and flexibility at their fingertips—keys to enabling their participation. All that remains is the motivation, and that’s where marketing comes in.
Marketers have an opportunity to simultaneously reach older adults and kids by encouraging multigenerational recreation activities. A picture of a group of 20-year-olds out hiking won’t resonate with this demographic, but a picture of grandparents camping with their grandchildren may be just the invitation they need.
Turn outdoor rec participation into a habit
This same approach applies to helping improve diversity within the outdoor rec industry. The Outdoor Foundation also reports that new outdoor participants are more diverse than the overall outdoor participant base, but participation is still overwhelmingly white. The value of representation in advertising goes far beyond ethical considerations. Advertising efforts that show a wider range of consumers resonates more, is more effective, and can result in a self-fulfilling prophecy. Show the diversity of participants to grow the diversity of participants.
This will work because outdoor recreation is sticky; once someone begins to participate, they’re likely to continue participating.
Despite increases in the number of participants, total outdoor outings and high-frequency participation are both declining significantly. High-frequency participants, those who participate 51 times or more annually, declined from 71.9% of the total outdoor recreation participant base in 2007 to 58.7% in 2021.
A simple prompt to return, like a personalized invitation or discount offer, can make the difference. So what’s next? Evaluate your marketing plans in light of the state of the outdoor rec industry. Lean into marketing opportunities that drive industry growth—extend invitations, reflect diversity and communicate the value of outdoor recreation. Recognizing industry trends will help you hold on to gains made during the pandemic while stoking the passion around outdoor recreation.