Outdoor recreation industry sees some rebound from pandemic, but future remains uncertain

Business is starting to turn around for parts of the outdoor recreation industry, which has suffered during the pandemic not only from the shutdown of stores and manufacturing plants but also the closure of national and state parks, trails, marinas and other places where people recreate.

In May, the U.S. Bureau ranked the industry as the second most affected by the coronavirus-induced downturn, behind the food and accommodations sector, said Lindsey Davis, vice president of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable.

But Davis said a new survey of the national trade organization’s members shows that the financial impacts are starting to ease as more Americans have turned to the outdoors as options for vacations and entertainment remain limited. Sales of recreational vehicles, boats, motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles are setting records, she said during a call with reporters Thursday.

The surging sales and the start of a turnaround for many businesses coincide with significant increases in outdoor recreation, Davis said.

Fishing license sales are up across the country. National forests and state parks are experiencing big crowds as well as problems with litter and vandalism. In Colorado, the Brainard Lake Recreation Area west of Boulder was seeing visitation rates two to four times higher than normal in July.

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