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General Statistics

Research & Statistics Posted on Fri, 10/22/2004 - 15:51.

RECFACTS

MAY 2007

Power Boating Leads 2006 Growth Rate Among

High-Participant Sports and Activities

Among 16 sports and recreation activities with more

than 20 million participants, power boating had the

highest rate of growth in 2006, up 6.2% to 29.3

million power boaters, according to the new Sports

Participation studies published annually by the

National Sporting Goods Association. At the other end

of the spectrum (sports with less than five million

participants), cross-country skiing soared almost 37%

to 2.6 million participants.

The only other high-participant sport with more than

5% growth in 2006 was camping, up 5.7% to 48.6

million participants. The bulk of the 16 sports (11 inall) grew or fell in a relatively narrow band of +5% to

-4%.

Other high-participant sports and their rate of change

include: hiking, +4.0% to 31.0 million; exercise

walking, +1.7% to 87.5 million; aerobic exercising,

0.0% to 33.7 million; golf, -1.0% to 24.4 million;

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Forest Service Planning Rule -

Summary

Leading Health Reporter for NY

Times: Head Out for Daily Dose of

Green Space

41 Members of Congress Sign Letter

to USFS Chief: Recreation A KeyFactor in Planning

National Forest Planning Rule:

Recreation at Heart of Debate,

Leaders tell Chief

America's Byways and Goodyear: Top

50 Comfortable Touring Drives

GO-Day 2010

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack

discusses AGO Initiative, praises

outdoor recreation leaders at June

Recreation Exchange

Great Outdoors Week 2010 Report

ARC Announces 2010 Beacon Award

Winners

ARC Salutes 2010 Legends Award

Winners

President Obama and State

Governors Proclaim June as Great

Outdoors Month

Exciting Plans for Great Outdoors

Week and Great Outdoors Month

2010

Great Outdoors Month 2010

Proclamations

Mickey Fearn promotes new era of

outreach and communication for

National Park Service

ED OUT

Help the Enthusiasm and Exchange of

Ideas at Partners Outdoors Grow --

Participate in Our New Blog!

Great Outdoors Month, National Get

Outdoors Day Gain Exciting New

Partner in National Marina Day

Rex Maughan of Forever Resorts to

Receive 2009 Sheldon Coleman GreatOutdoors Award

Gina McCarthy connects clean air,

children and outdoor recreation at

September Recreation Exchange

Jay Jensen presents vision for the

Forest Service at August Recreation

running/jogging, -1.6% to 28.8 million; fishing, -2.5%

to 40.6 million; swimming, -2.6% to 56.5 million; and

bicycle riding, -13.3% to 35.6 million.

To see participation rates for all 41 sports surveyed,

click here.

Source: National Sporting Goods Association

APRIL 2007

New Study Finds Fishing a Powerful Pathway to

Boating

A new study by the Recreational Boating and Fishing

Foundation (RBFF) provides insight into the

relationship between boating and fishing. According an

RBFF news release, the study compared three market

segments - Boater Only, Angler Only and Boating

Angler, those who both boat and fish. The study

found that fishing is a strong pathway to boating and

that promoting both fishing and boating is good for

the market.

The RBFF study found that those who both boat and

fish do so significantly more frequently than those

who only fish or only boat and spend more money on

fishing equipment and boating accessories compared

to those who only fish or only boat. Nearly half of

Boating Anglers (44.9%) said that fishing influenced

their decision to get involved in boating and the

reason they purchased their first boat was to fish

(67.7%). By contrast, less than one third (30.4%) ofBoating Anglers said that boating influenced their

decision to get involved in fishing.

Other findings of interest:

Boating Anglers who do not currently own a

boat are significantly more likely that Angelers

Only or Boaters Only to be actively shopping /

researching boats and plan to purchase on the

in the next 12 months.

Those who both boat and fish are more likely

report that how they look at the environmentwas influenced by their fishing and boating

experiences compared to those who only fish or

only boat.

For the RBFF News Release and a link to the full study

report, click here.


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Exchange

Americas First Family Heads to Two

National Parks This Weekend

Senate Confirmation Hearings Begin

for NPS Director Nominee Jon Jarvis

Congressmen Voice Strong Support

for Recreational Trails Program

GO-Day 2009

Great Outdoors Week 2009 Report

Coalition for Recreational Trails

Announces 2009 Annual Achievement

Awards Winners

ARC Salutes 2009 Legends Award

Winners

American Recreation Coalition

Announces 2009 Beacon Award

Winners

Coalition for Recreational Trails

Announces 2009 Annual Achievement

Awards Winners

President Obama Proclaims June as

Great Outdoors Month, Governors

Join In

2006 Report Estimates the Value of Volunteer

Hour at $18.77

The Independent Sectorrecently announced that the

2006 estimate for the value of a volunteer hour has

reached $18.77 per hour. Such an estimate can be

used to help organizations quantify the enormousvalue volunteers provide. The 2006 estimate increased

from $18.04 per hour in 2005. To learn more, click

here.

New Loaner Program Puts Thousands of

Bicyclists on the Streets of Paris

A second urban loaner - bike program will begin in

France this summer when JCDecaux, an outdoor

advertising company, makes 20,600 bikes available at

1,450 stations in Paris. The program is modeled on a

wildly successful program launched in Lyon, France in

2005. The programs are complex public-private

partnerships which provide bikes at little or no cost to

riders.

According to a recent article in the Washington Post,

the company will pay start-up costs of about $115

million and employ the equivalent of about 285 people

full time to operate the system and repair the bikes

for ten years. All revenue from the program will go to

the city, and the company will also pay Paris a fee of

about $4.3 million a year.

In exchange, Paris is giving the company exclusivecontrol over 1,628 city-owned billboards, including the

revenue from them, for the same period. About half

the billboard space will be given back to the city at no

cost for public-interest advertising.

To read more about this public/private partnership,

click here.

Source: Washington Post, Saturday, March 24, 2007,

p. A10.

Hunting and Fishing Rates End Decline in Youth

Recruitment rates of youngsters in hunting and fishing

have stabilized after declining through the 1990s,

according to preliminary data from the 2006 National

Surveys of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated

Recreation and information from previous surveys,

reports the Chattanoogan.com.


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To read more, click here.

For the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report, click

here.

FEBRUARY 2007

2006 U.S. Travel and Tourism Industry Statistics

The U.S. Department of Commerce announced a

record $107.4 billion in international travel receipts

travel-related tourism spending, including passenger

fares for the United States in 2006. This spending

represents a full recovery in the value of foreign travel

to the U.S. since Sept. 11, 2001, and surpasses the

previous record of $103.1 billion set in 2000.

Here are some highlights:

Purchases of travel and tourism-related goodsand services by international visitors totaled

$85.8 billion for the year, an increase of 5

percent over 2005. These goods and services

include food, lodging, recreation, gifts,

entertainment, local transportation in the

United States, and other items incidental to

international travel.

Passenger fares received by U.S. carriers and

U.S. vessel operators from international visitors

increased more than 3 percent over 2005 to

$21.6 billion for the year.

For the eighteenth consecutive year, the UnitedStates enjoyed a travel trade surplus, reaching

$7.3 billion in 2006.

Travel and tourism supported 8.3 million

American jobs in 2006.

More people are employed by travel and

tourism-related industries than are employed in

the construction industry, the business and

financial industries, agriculture, education or

health care.

Source: United States Department of Commerce

All About Snowmobilers

The average age of a snowmobiler is 41.

Approximately 70% of all active snowmobilers

are male.

60% of all active snowmobilers belong to a club

or state association.

The average annual household income of a


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snowmobiler is $72,000.

65% of all snowmobilers trailer their

snowmobiler to where they usually ride.

The average snowmobiler rides 17 days during

the winter and travels about 1,000 miles.

Not counting the cost of the vehicle and trailer,

the average snowmobiler spends $3,000 per

year snowmobiling.

The sport generates $27 billion in economic

activity and over 85,000 full-time jobs.

In 2006 there were 1.7 million registered

snowmobiles in the United States.

Source: International Snowmobile Manufacturers

Association

JANUARY 2007

Skier Visits Set Records in Colorado

DENVER, CO -- Colorado Ski Country USA reports its

26 member resorts posted record-setting skier

visitation for the first portion of the winter season.

Collectively, Colorado ski resorts hosted 3,285,649

skiers and snowboarders, an increase of 6.74 percent,

or 207,533 visits, over October 31-December 31,

2006.

The states destination resorts saw the greatest gains

in visitation with an increase of 11.9 percent over

prior year. The two-year, upward trend is indicative of

the robust markets on both the destination front and

with those ski areas which are primarily community-

supported. This year (October 31-December 31, 2006)

marks the third consecutive record for

community-based resorts which are more than

100,000 visits ahead of their five-year skier visit

average.

The Colorado ski industry represents a significant

portion of Colorado tourism, which is the second

largest industry in the state. Last season, Colorados

resorts set an all-time record for visitation with more

than 12.53 million skier visits, representing more than

21 percent of the nations 58.9 million skier visits.

Source: Colorado Ski Country USA

NOVEMBER 2006

More Women Hunting...

A recent study by the National Sporting Goods


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Association estimates more than 3 million women now

hunt, accounting for about 16 percent of the nearly 21

million active hunters in the United States.

The study, which covered 2001 to 2005, found that

2.4 million women hunted with firearms in 2005, up

72 percent from 2001. Fifty percent more are target

shooting, while the number of women bow-huntershas grown 176 percent to 786,000.

The fastest-growing age groups are women aged 18

to 24, followed by those aged 35 to 44. To read more,

click here.

Source: Reuters 2006

Aerobic Exercise Benefits Memory and

Concentration

A new study finds that aerobic exercise may halt and

even reverse the slow mental decline caused by aging.A report in the November issue of theJournal of

Gerontology: Medical Sciences says that as little as

three hours per week of brisk walking (at a pace

slightly greater than 3 mph) increases the volume of

neurons in the brain and the connections between

them, resulting in improved memory, multi-tasking

ability and concentration.

Researchers at the University of Illinois, Urbana found

that these cognitive benefits are not present in other

forms of exercise, such as weight training or

stretching. The study's findings concur with a growingbody of evidence supporting a connection between

moderate aerobic exercise and improved mental

acuity among the elderly.

To read a recent Wall Street Journalarticle on the

study, click here.

OCTOBER 2006

'Tis the Season: What's New on the

Slopes

Wake-Up Calls

Powderfone.com is offering a free snow report

wake-up telephone call service to skiers and

snowboarders for 1,200 resorts worldwide.

Subscribers choose how much snow, which days,

which resorts, and at what time they would like to

receive a wake-up call. When a resort gets the


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snowfall a subscriber has requested, they will receive

a phone call that reports the snowfall and more.


To sign up, click here.

Source: First Tracks!! Online Ski Magazine

Ski Areas Work to Attract Minorities and Youth

The Associated Press reports that only three out of

every 20 skiers or snowboarders is a minority,

according to marketing researchers. Hoping to attract

fast growing population segments to ski resorts,

some, according to the article, are advertising in

Chinese newspapers, translating informational

brochures to Spanish, stocking smaller boots Asians

might need and introducing children from rural schools

or urban centers to a sport they may only have seen

on TV.

In Colorado, Alpino, a non-profit dedicated to snow

sports diversity, has worked with Vail, Keystone,

Beaver Creek, and Breckenridge to bring 4,000

minority children to the mountains each year. Roberto

Moreno, founder of Alpino, was quoted in the article as

saying, A lot of resorts are recognizing that if they

dont reach out to people of color, theyre going to be

losing a lot of business.

To read the complete article, click here.

Source: Associated Press

National Trends in OHV Use

Based USDA Forest Service research, in the 2004

season nearly 1-in-4 Americans (23.8 percent) age 16

and older participated one or more times in OHV

recreation. A more conservative estimate using

alternate methodology arrives at an estimate of 39.7

million OHV participants, 18.6 percent of the

population, or almost 1-in-5 people age 16 and older.

According to the same study, OHV visits to national

forests grew from 5 million in 1975 to 51 million in

2005, an increase of 92%. According to the study, the

number of off-highway vehicles grew from 400,000 in

the early 1990s to more than 8 million by 2003.

Source: Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation in the

United States, Regions and States: A National

Report from the National Survey on Recreation

and the Environment (NSRE) June, 2005



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International Visitation to Set Records in 2006

and Beyond

The U.S. Department of Commerce projects record

arrivals and receipts from international travelers to the

United States in 2006. The 2006 forecast exceeds the

previous record arrival year of 2000, when more than

51.2 million international travelers visited the UnitedStates. 2005 saw 49 million visitors. In 2007, the US

is projected to host more than 54 million international

visitors, generating $113 billion in travel exports.

The forecast for 2006-2010 predicts that by 2010

international arrivals will reach 63 million, an increase

of 28% between 2005 and 2010, and generate over

$135 billion in travel exports that year.

Where will these folks be coming from in 2010?

Thirteen million will come from Europe, 5 million from

Japan and South America will show the largest

regional growth, up 36 percent between 2005 and

2010. International travel from the Peoples Republic of

China is predicted to increase 90% between by 2010!

Source: U.S. Department of Commerce


Recent Bike News

A Vermont small-business owner challenged his 13

employees to bike to work this summer by offering

each $1,000 to log 650 commuting miles this year.

Twelve of the workers accepted the challenge.

Employees were offered $500 up front to purchasebikes and an additional $500 if they are successful. All

of the participants are on track to earn the additional

$500.

Source: Burlington Free Press


A record number of communities in all 50 states

participated in National Walk to School Day on

October 4. More than 2,200 events were registered on

the walk to School website. 47% were part of an

ongoing walk and/or biking program, and 47% of the

events were part of a Safe Routes to School program

funded by SAFETEA-LU.

Source: http://www.walktoschool.org/

-------------------------------------------------------------

Study Released: Recreational Horse Trails in


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season to 35.1. Snowboarders accounted for 30.4% of

visits last season, up over 3% from 2004/05.

Average weekend lift ticket prices increased nationally

by 4.8% to $60.66.

Source: 2005/06 Kottke National End of Season

Survey for the National Ski Areas Association.

For more details, click here.

Support for Hunting and Fishing Increasing

A new nationwide survey, conducted by Responsive

Management of Harrisonburg, Virginia for the

Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation and the U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service, found that support for

hunting and fishing has remained strong over the past

decade with approximately every 3 out of 4 Americans

approving of legal hunting and more than 9 out of 10

approving of recreational fishing. This is the firstnationwide study which verifies that public support

has increased over the past decade.

To read more about this survey, click here.

Source: New West Daily News

Did you know that

53% of the U.S. population lives in the United

States 673 coastal communities (153 million,

up by 33 million since 1980).

Recreational boating participation increased by

an estimated 2.3 million in 2005 to 71.3 million.

71% of the boats sold in the U.S. are bought

used and almost one-third of repeat boat

buyers go on to purchase a new boat.

Boat owners spent an average of 41 days on

the water in 2005.

There are nearly 875,000 slips for recreational

boaters in the U.S. and 12,375 marinas.

Florida, New York, Michigan, Vermont and

California account for 49% of the marinas in the

U.S.

There are 1,400 active boat builders in the U.S.

Florida ranks first with 200 builders, 215 plants

and 29,000 employees.


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Sources:

The National Marine Manufacturers Associations

"2005 Recreational Boating Statistical Abstract"

NOAAs "Population Trends Along the Coastal United

States 1980-2008"

AUGUST 2006

An August 2006 report on travel in America has some

good news for the outdoor recreation community. The

State of the American Traveler has been released by

Destination Analysts, a California research firm. The

study found that eighty-eight percent of those

surveyed plan to travel as much (55.6%) or

more (33%) in the next 12 months as in the

last.

The nations love affair with the great outdoors

remains strong, the firm reports. In the past year

almost 1/3 of leisure travelers visited a State or local

park. National Parks were visited by one-in-four

(26%) vacationers, and national forests by one-in-five

(17.2%). Underscoring the importance of water-based

outdoor recreation to Americans, go to a beach or a

lake was ranked first (47.2%) in outdoor activities

participated in by leisure travelers. Second on the list

was go to small towns or villages (41.4%).

In what is possibly a sign of the times, "safety" was

ranked highest when respondents were asked "What is

generally important in choosing a travel destination?"

88.8% of respondents ranked safety as important or

very important. Scenic beauty was ranked second

at 86.3%. Interestingly, the study found, men appear

to be slightly more concerned about safety than

women.

To read more about The State of the American

Traveler, click here.

JULY 2006

Fishing Participation on the Increase

The number of Americans "going fishing" rose by

5.2% to 43.3 million in 2005 according to the National

Sporting Goods Association's (NSGA) annual

participation survey. This is the first increase reported

by NSGA since 2000. The Sporting Goods

Manufacturing Association reported a similar trend: a

6.3% increase. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service


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reported a 2.1% increase in 2004 fishing license sales,

the first increase in four years.

Source:American Sportfishing magazine, June-July

2006

JUNE 2006

National Forest System Statistics (October 2005)

Trails: 133,000 miles

Roads: 378,500 miles

186,000 (49%) high-clearance vehicle roads

77,200 (20%) passenger car roads

115,300 (31%) closed to motor vehicles

System road construction 2005: 142 miles

System road decommissioning 2005: 852 miles

Road Bridges: 6,500

Trail Bridges: 6,700

Buildings: 42,154

17,645 (42%) toilet structures

4,234 (10%) recreation

19,367 (46%) fire, administration, other

908 (2%) research

Recreation Sites: 14,077

Boating:1,053 (8%)

Cabin: 580 (4%)

Campground:4,677 (33%)

Group campground:407 (2%)

Interpretive Site major:120(1%)

Interpretive site minor:509 (4%)

Picnic:1,340 (9%)

Trailhead:3,898(33%)

Other:1,493 (11%)

Deferred maintenance (does not include backlog

investments) in millions: 5,966

Roads: 4,572 (77% of total deferred

maintenance)

Buildings 439

Bridges: 115

Trail bridges: 9

Recreation sites: 89

Trails (FY 2001): 99


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Heritage assets: 33

Water and wastewater: 112

Wildlife, fish, threatened and endangered

species: 6

Source: USDA Forest Service

Useful Recreation Facts from RecentSurveys

Fitness Activities, Most Team Sports

Continue Participation Growth; Exercise

Walking Remains No. 1 in The 2005 Annual

Survey Conducted By The National

Sporting Goods Association.

Exercise walking, which experienced 1.5%

growth in 2005, remains the #1 participation

activity surveyed by the NSGA, a position it has

held since 1990. Data contained in NSGAs

annual Sports Participation Series I and II

reports, which are now available, show 86.0

million Americans walked for exercise in 2005.

Swimming, with 58.0 million participants (an

increase of 8.5%), regained the #2 spot which

it had lost in 2002. Camping, which had

replaced swimming in the runner-up spot in

2004, dropped to fourth (46.0 million

participants, down 16.8%) behind exercising

with equipment (54.2 million, up 4.0%).

Bowling rounded out the top five with 45.4

million (+3.5%).

To read more and see the complete list of

rankings, click here.


Anglers Report Most Pressing Problems

The American Sportfishing Association launched

an online survey (AnglersSurvey.com) last fall

and reported that 1,200 anglers took Februarys

monthly survey. Those surveyed reported that

the biggest problems facing anglers today are

access to water (28.5%), water quality (24.3%)

and invasive species (14.5%).

Source:American Sportfishing, April-May 2006.

Highlights of RVIAs April Survey

RVIAs biannual Campfire Canvass survey of RV


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owners, conducted in April 2006, finds that

66% of RV owners plan to use their RV more

this summer than last, although 52% say they

may spend more time in one place and 45%

say they will reduce the distance traveled. Half

of RVers surveyed enjoy outdoor activities and

sports, and two-thirds of the respondents say

they are more physically active on RV trips than

on other vacations.


Source: Recreation Vehicle Industry Association

MAY 2006 -

New Road Atlas Created for Motorcyclists

For the millions of motorcycle enthusiasts

looking for adventure, Rand McNally introduces

the first-edition Harley-Davidson Ride Atlas ofNorth America. Packed with definitive maps of

secondary roads, road construction information,

local motorcycle laws and an expansive mileage

directory, the compact 8.5-inch by 11-inch ride

atlas fits snugly into a saddlebag. Wrapped in a

black, rubber-like, touche cover are 284 pages

of four-color maps, mileage charts, city indexes

and descriptions of motorcyclist-tested rides in

the United States.


APRIL 2006 -

New Marine Industry Statistics

Soundings,a boating business newspaper,

reports this month that personal watercraft

sales rose by 9.4% in 2005, posting the best

results for any sector of the marine industry.

Overall sales of new boats rose by .5% over

2004 levels.

More interesting stats:

2004 boat registrations show that Florida is #1nationally in boat registrations (946,072),

followed by Michigan (944,800). California fell

from 1st place in 2003 to 3rd (894,884).

Regionally, the Great Lakes Region leads in boat

registrations, followed by the Inland Region of

19 states and the South Atlantic Region is 3rd.

Boat registration statistics are the basis for


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allocating Aquatic Resources Trust Fund dollars

among the states.

The economic impact of boating in Florida is

greater than the citrus industry, the cruise

industry and Port Everglades. With a total

impact of $18.4 billion annually, Florida's

marine industry employs 220,000.

Birding Trails: Significant Benefit to Local

Economies

Outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy yet another

reason to visit Oregons Cascade Mountains with

the recent introduction of the Oregon Cascades

Birding Trail. This 1,000-mile, self-guided auto

tour showcases nearly 200 of the regions best

locations for wildlife watching and habitat

diversity.

Birding trails fledged in the United States in

2000 when the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail

debuted along the ocean shores of the Lone

Star State. Since then, more than 30 states

have fashioned dozens of these self-guided

automobile routes to lure Americas rapidly

growing constituency of recreational birders.

Indeed, Americans like to watch birds. We also

like to feed birds in our backyards. We travel to

see birds that dont visit our backyards, and we

buy books and other equipment to enhance our

birding experience. According to the National

Survey on Recreation and the Environment

(NSRE 2001, in press), over 70 million

Americans, or one-third of the national

population over age 16, engage in some level of

birding.

Government studies corroborate these findings.

Every five years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service conducts the National Survey on

Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated

Recreation (USFWS 2001). The latest report

tallied 18.2 million people who spent 372million days watching wildlife away from home

in 2001. These nature enthusiasts spent $8.2

billion on trip-related expenses. According to

the NSRE, the number of American birders has

exploded at a rate of 232 percent since 1983,

positioning birding as the fastest-growing

outdoor activity in the United States.


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To land managers and conservationists,

nature-based tourism represents much more

than a boost to the local economy. The money

spent by visiting birders places a dollar value on

birds and their habitats. More birds and better

quality habitat mean more birders visiting more

often. Local communities experience the

economic benefits of conservation and they

become stewards over local lands.

Source: Oregon Magazine, April 2006, Volume

6, No. 4.

Top Five Ski Areas All on Public Land

Do you know which is the most visited ski area

in the United States? What about the second?

You may be surprised to know that the top five

most visited ski areas in the country are located

on National Forest Service lands. Here they are

in descending order: # 1 Vail, Colorado; # 2

Breckenridge, Colorado; # 3 Mammoth

Mountain, Central California, # 4 Heavenly

Mountain, Northern California, # 5 Copper

Mountain, Colorado.

MARCH 2006 -

U.S. BICYCLE IMPORTS UP 10% THROUGH

NOVEMBER 2005

The U.S. Department of Commerce reports that

18.8 million bicycles were imported into theU.S. for January-November 2005, a 10%

increase from the same period last year. Value

of the shipments reached $1.07 billion, an 18%

increase from the same period last year.

The rate of growth has declined from the first

three quarters of the year. Through September,

imported units were up 16%; dollars, 25%.

The increases were led by smaller bicycles

(childrens, 20-inch and 24-inch), which

accounted for 13.0 million of the imported

units. Childrens were up 38%; 20-inchers,

14%; and 24-inchers, flat.

Mountain bike imports, the largest dollar value

category, rose 1% to 4.9 million units. The FOB

value per unit rose to $86, up from $77 from

the same period last year with a total value of

$421.1 million.


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The FOB value per unit of road 700c bicycles

rose dramatically, up to $238 from $110 for the

same period last year. Their value reached

$216.3 million versus $162.8 million from the

same period last year.

China continued its dominance as the primary

source for U.S. bicycles, the source of 17.7million of the 18.8 million imported through the

first eleven months of 2005.


INTERESTING FACTS FROM THE TRAVEL

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION

One third ofUS adults say they have gone on a

camping vacation in the last five years, making

it the number one outdoor activity in the US.

Eighty percent of adult travelers (over 118million people) have included an historic or

cultural activity while traveling. That is roughly

the population of United Kingdom and Italy

combined.

More than 30 million adults have taken an

educational trip to learn or improve a skill,

sport or hobby in the past three years.

February 6, 2006 - RECREATIONAL BOATING

DEMAND TO REACH $16.7 BILLION IN

2009U.S. demand for recreational boating

products -- including boats and separately sold

propulsion systems and accessories -- is

projected to grow 4.8% annually through 2009

to $16.7 billion, according to Recreational

Boating. The new study from The Freedonia

Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industrial

market research firm, said gains will be

supported by an ongoing shift in the product

mix toward larger, more sophisticated boats.

Recreational boat sales (powerboats, personal

watercraft, sailboats and other boats) will reach

$10 billion in 2009 and remain the largest

segment of demand with 60% of the total.

Inboard cabin cruisers will see the most rapid

growth and will maintain their status as the

largest single category of boats in value terms,

reaching $3.3 billion in 2009. Annual growth for

boat sales is projected to be 5%.


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Separately sold propulsion systems will climb to

$4 billion and continue to account for the

second largest portion of recreational boating

demand in 2009. Annual growth for separately

sold propulsion system sales is projected to be

5%.

According to the study, accessory sales willreach $2.7 billion in 2009, showing an annual

growth rate of 4.9%.

BIKE SHIPMENTS FINISH YEAR POSITIVE

The value of bicycle shipments to the

independent bicycle dealer (IBD) network

increased 8% in December, their value reaching

$47.5 million versus $44.0 million for December

2004. The increase pushed the value of

shipments for the full year up 13%, to $697.2

million versus $617.1 million for 2004,

according to the Bicycle Product Suppliers

Association (BPSA). The value of shipments had

risen 13% in November.

Among major bike categories, the value of

shipments of road bikes was up 51% in

November and pushed their 12-month total to

$237.8 million, a 32% increase versus the same

12 months in 2004. Front suspension mountain

bikes were up 1% in December, with their value

rising 6% to $139.4 million for the 12 months.

Dual-suspension mountain bike shipments fell

5.4% in December, with the value of 2005

shipments rising 3.7% to $94.1 million.

Unit shipments for 2005 were up 4%, with

December shipments down 7.5%. Slightly more

than 2.4 million units were shipped in 2005.

Parts and accessory sales were up 66% in

December, $20.5 million versus $12.3 million in

December of 2004. Twelve-month sales were up

12.1% to $296.5 million.

BPSA's statistical information is gathered

monthly from 28 reporting companies,

representing both large and small distributors.

The report captures roughly 85% of sales to the

independent bicycle dealer (IBD) network. For

additional information, contact BPSA at

215-393-3144 or [email protected].


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INTERNET SALES OF SPORTS EQUIPMENT

TO DOUBLE BY 2010 Internet sales of sports

equipment will more than double between 2005

and 2010, according to Forrester Research Inc.

Forrester estimated Internet sales of sports

equipment at $4.1 billion in 2005 and projects

that sales will reach $8.7 billion in 2010. In

2010, Forrester projects that 13% of all retail

sales of sports equipment will be via the

Internet. In 2004, NSGA's Sporting Goods

Market reported Internet sales represented

7.9% of a $22.9 billion sports equipment

market.

Source: NSGA Research News Vol.8, No. 3

ARCHIVED RECFACTS

In 2001, 82 million people or 39 % of the

population participated in wildlife-related

recreation activities. Of these, there were 34million anglers, 13 million hunters and 66

million wildlife watchers. These recreationists

spent $108 billion on their activities.

Source: US Census: www.census.gov/prod

/www/abs/fishing.html

In 2001, 29,452,379 fishing licenses were sold

in the US. The leading states were California,

Florida, Texas, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota,

New York and Pennsylvania. Source: American

Sport Fishing Association

(http://www.asafishing.org/asa/statistics/participation/fishlicense_2001.html)

In 2001 45,699,000 people participated in

fishing activities. Of that number, 11,628,000

were youths from the ages of 6-15. Americans

spent 557,399,000 days fishing that year.

Source: American Sport Fishing Association

(http://www.asafishing.org/asa/statistics

/participation/national_overview.html)

In 2002, 73.3 million people went hiking or

roughly a third of the US population. The

estimated economic impact of these hikers was

$18 billion. Source: American Hiking Society

(http://www.americanhiking.org/news/pdfs

/econ_ben.pdf)

In 2003, 72 Million people participated in

boating activities. 5.5 million participated in

waterskiing. In that same year there were


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17.49 million boats in use in the US. Source:

National Marine Manufacturers Association

(http://www.nmma.org/facts/boatingstats

/2003/)

Nearly 1 in 12 vehicle owning households now

own an RV or 7 million households. There are

currently 7.2 million RVs on the road. Source:RVIA (http://www.rvia.org/media

/fastfacts.htm)

In 2004, there were 109,750 snowmobiles sold

in the US. There are 1.77 million registered

snowmobiles in the US. The estimated

economic impact of snowmobiling is $20 billion

annually. Source: ISMA

(http://www.snowmobile.org/facts_snfcts.asp)

The average hunter spend $1,896 per year on

hunting related expenses. Source: National

Shooting Sports Foundation

(http://www.nssf.org/about

/hunting.cfm?AoI=hunting)

In 2003 American adults rode singletrack

mountain bikes 587 million times. The number

of participants was 39.3 million people. Source:

IMBA (http://www.imba.com/news/trail_news

/index.html)

According to the Outdoor Industry Foundation,

57% of Americans participate in at least one

outdoor activity. Of this number 63%participate in multiple activities each year. The

most popular activities of those surveyed were

hiking, road biking and camping. Source:

Outdoor Industry Foundation

(http://www.outdoorindustry.org

/MediaExecSummary.pdf)

The highest participation rate among age

groups was among those 16-25. After that point

participation steadily declined until the 45+ age

group. Source: Outdoor Industry Foundation

(http://www.outdoorindustry.org/MediaExecSummary.pdf)

The top five states participating in outdoor

recreation were California, Texas, New York,

Florida and Pennsylvania. In terms of

percentage of the populace, the top

participators were Utah, Wyoming, Montana,


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Idaho and Connecticut. Source: Outdoor

Industry Foundation

(http://www.outdoorindustry.org/SOI2002.pdf)

In 2003, 44.2% of the population or 94.6

million people participated in boating activities.

In addition 39.8% and 38% of the population

went birdwatching or hiking respectively. Thenext most popular activities were fishing and

bicycling. Source: National Forest Service

(http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/trends

/recupdate0804.pdf)

75% of the American public use parks and

recreation services. In addition 71% of those

people who do not use the parks, say that they

derive some benefit from having a park in the

area. Source: Illinois Parks and Recreation

(http://www.lib.niu.edu/ipo/ip921137.html)

Last year 66.6 million people visited the 3,300

recreational sites maintained by the bureau of

land management. There were 279 million visits

to the 388 sites including parks, monuments

and battlefield sites of the National Park

Service. There were 39 million visits to the 544

Fish and Wildlife Service wildlife refuges. Finally

there were 90 million visits to the 308 sites of

the Bureau of Reclamation. Source: Department

of the Interior (http://www.doiu.nbc.gov

/orientation/facts.cfm)

44.4 million Americans fish, with 25% of men

fishing and 8% of women fishing. More people

fish in America than play golf and tennis

combined. In 2001, the total economic output

from freshwater fishing alone was $74 billion. If

saltwater fishing is included, the total rises to

$116 billion. Source: FLW Outdoors

(http://mc.flwoutdoors.com/mc/usfacts.cfm)

Ownership of RVs has reached record levels. In

2001, nearly 1 out of every 12 American

households owned an RV or approximately 7

million households. This is a 38% increase overthe past 20 years. Source: RVIA

(http://www.rvia.org/media/fastfacts.htm)

2.2 million people cross country ski. Of that

number, 47.6% are women and one in 8 is a

child between 7-11. Source: Winter Trails

(http://wintertrails.org


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/wintertrails.php?section=news&page=xc_facts)

In 2002 there were 7.4 million skiers and 5.6

million snowboarders. 11.5% of snowboarders

report that they also ski, while 15.2% of skiers

also snowboard. Source: NSAA

(http://www.nsaa.org/nsaa2002

/_safety.asp?mode=the_facts)

Copyright 2004-2008 American Recreation Coalition

1225 New York Avenue NW

Suite 450

Washington, DC 20005-6405


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