The outdoor recreation industry is facing a significant reduction in sales and revenue, production and distribution delays and employee furloughs and layoffs due to the coronavirus according to a survey conducted by the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable* (ORR).

In partnership with the Oregon State University Outdoor Economy Initiative, ORR surveyed its member trade associations representing over 100,000 businesses from the RV, camp, boat, hunt & fish, and bike categories about the impact each organization and member companies have experienced during the pandemic.

According to responses received from 20 participating national outdoor recreation trade associations representing businesses with two million employees, the impact identified the following:

  • 89 percent of respondents are experiencing difficulty with production and distribution with 68 percent experiencing a significant impact;
  • 79 percent of respondents have furloughed, or laid off, a portion of their workforce, with 11 percent closing or laying off most, if not all, employees;
  • 89 percent of respondents have seen a decrease in sales, with 39 percent seeing a decrease of 50-to-75 percent, or greater, in sales; and
  • 80 percent of respondents have seen a decrease in revenue, with 30 percent seeing a decrease of 50-to-75 percent or greater in revenue.

“We knew there have been tremendous impacts to our members and to the entire outdoor recreation industry, but our survey results show the traumatic impact on every sector and to the heart of this once-thriving economic engine,” said Jessica Wahl, executive director at Outdoor Recreation Roundtable. “Just a few short months ago outdoor recreation was growing faster than almost any other industry, contributed over $778 billion to the U.S. economy and employed over 5.2 million Americans. To see that 79 percent of outdoor businesses have had to lay off, or furlough employees, and that 89 percent are seeing decreased revenue is jaw-dropping.”

A point of pride for the outdoor industry is its connection and relationship with rural and “gateway” communities but, fewer Americans are able to recreate in these places, retail is close, and rural communities are destabilized. National unemployment numbers that came out on Tuesday confirmed that some recreation-based communities see a disproportionate increase in unemployment averaging 57 percent in Colorado and 25 percent in New Mexico for example.

For that reason, ORR is working on smart fixes to the CARES Act to assist small businesses in the outdoor industry and urging Congress to take further action by passing the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA). GAOA includes funding for the maintenance of public lands to stimulate local communities, it also provides funding to the Land and Water Conservation Fund ensuring that projects that bolster recreation dependent communities will be completed as more Americans seek outside recreation.

“Our association – along with our industry and the broader economy – has faced and continues to face significant challenges during the COVID-19 crisis, which are gravely jeopardizing our long term health and the vital services we provide our nearly 1,400 members,” said Nicole Vasilaros, senior vice president of government and legal affairs for the National Marine Manufacturers Association. With a little help from Congress, I am confident that we can weather the storm and help our industry navigate the rapidly evolving situation. And as life begins to return to normal and more Americans look to get outdoors, the recreational boating industry stands ready to answer the call and get boaters back out on the water.”

“A significant portion of the RV Industry Association’s revenue comes from seals placed on RVs as they are built. With the vast majority of RV production shut down for the past month as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, the Association has seen a significant drop in revenue,” said RV Industry Association Vice President of Government Affairs Jay Landers. “The strong position of the RV industry heading into the crisis as well the potential for RVs to be the ideal way to travel while adhering to social distancing once it is safe to travel again, could mitigate the long-term impact on the industry. But for now, we are hurting along with so many across the country.”

“Unprecedented is an overused term right now, but most of our 5,000 individual members are out of work and all of our business members are shuttered. Perhaps worse is that nobody knows when they’ll be able to return to guiding,” Alex Kosseff with American Mountain Guide Association. “We’re working on a dynamic, creative, and compassionate response to best support our members through this time but many of the return to work decisions are made more difficult by conflicting guidance and requirements from land managers, state, and local governments.”

ORR will continue to solicit survey responses on a monthly basis from the outdoor recreation industry and provide updates on its latest results.

*The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable promotes the growth of the outdoor recreation economy and outdoor recreation activities and a leading outdoor recreation coalition with 32 member associations serving over 100,000 businesses. ORR’s members represent America’s RV, camping, boating, hunt & fish, bike, ATV, diving and ski communities, to name a few. Photo courtesy WWD