Last week, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released data analyzing the country’s outdoor recreation economy. While the outdoor rec economy overall slowed by 19 percent from 2019 through 2020, sales of the recreational vehicle sector grew to more than five percent during the same time.
The new figures are in line with the industry data showing an increase of six percent in 2020 RVs shipments compared to 2019, according to a News & Insights report of the RV Industry Association.
According to government statistics, outdoor recreation can be classified into three groups: conventional activities (such as bicycling, boating, hiking, RVing, and hunting); other core activities (such as golf, tennis, amusement parks, and outdoor concerts); and supporting activities (such as construction, travel and tourism, local trips, and government expenditures). While conventional outdoor activities like boating and RVing saw an increase in 2020.
Tourism and travel-related activities decreased in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as people have fewer trips and less spending on restaurants and hotels. In addition, a decline in the topline outdoor recreation number was due to less spending at water parks, amusement parks, festivals, sporting events, and outdoor concert events.
“2020 was a challenging year for everyone, and the outdoor recreation industry was no exception. Even with the incredible number of people turning to RVs and outdoor recreation in 2020, it was impossible to overcome the economic losses resulting from the entire US economy coming to a screeching halt in the spring of 2020, including closed campgrounds and suspended operations at RV dealerships and RV manufacturing plants,” said RVIA Vice President of Government Affairs Jay Landers.
“The good news is that nearly 20% more RVs will be built in 2021 than in any prior year, and the streak is expected to continue into 2022. This bodes well for the future of not only the RV industry but the wider outdoor recreation economy as a whole.”
Boating/fishing and RVing were the two major contributors to the outdoor rec economy. RVing was the second-largest conventional activity across the nation and the most popular conventional activity in five states. The biggest contributing states included Indiana ($3.4 billion) and Texas ($1.7 billion).
The complete data of the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, which includes breakdowns by state, can be found on this page.
