Recreation Northwest

Recreation Economy

  • Bringing the outdoor recreation community together to learn from each other, raise the profile of this key sector of our economy and advocate for the value of outdoor recreation and our public lands at the state and local level.

photo by Laura Todd

Bringing the Outdoor Community Together:

Outdoor Recreation Summit
Building on momentum at the state and national level we are bringing Recreation Industry Professionals – retailers, manufacturers, tourism promoters, land managers and stewardship organizations – together to explore and share ways to grow and promote Washington State’s flourishing recreation economy.

Recreation Northwest EXPO
Highlighting our regional outdoor recreation businesses, lands and opportunities to help people find new ways to get outside and play.

Basecamp Networking
Bringing together outdoor recreation business owners & employees for networking and conversation. 

Recreation Economy Studies

NATIONAL

Outdoor Industry Association, 2017: 
The Outdoor Recreation Economy
The Outdoor Recreation Economy: Washington

WASHINGTON STATE

Washington Recreation and Conservation Office Study, 2015: 
Economic Benefits of Outdoor Recreation in Washington Fact Sheet 
Economic Benefits of Outdoor Recreation in Washington 

WHATCOM COUNTY

In 2015, Recreation Northwest released The Economic Contribution of Outdoor Recreation to Whatcom County. This is the first study of it’s kind for Whatcom County and we are excited to highlight the impact of outdoor recreation. The study was done by Earth Economics, in Tacoma and funded by Whatcom County, City of Bellingham, Port of Bellingham and Bellingham Whatcom Tourism.

Outdoor recreation an important part of why people choose to live in Whatcom County, it is a foundation of our local economy.

Economic Contribution of Outdoor Recreation to Whatcom County

Download the Full Report Download the Full Report Download the Factsheet Download the Factsheet

Download the Study Presentation

 

Recreation Economy posts from our blog, The Confluence

  • Recreation Economy Roundup – June 2018

    Here’s a re-cap of some of the noteworthy recreation economy stories from the past month. What is an intact forest worth? Up to $1 trillion, in the case of Greater Seattle’s Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie A new analysis of Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest (PDF) estimates its total value could be several times the annual revenue of Amazon.com—as... Read More →

  • Recreation Economy round-up – May 2018

    Here’s a re-cap of some of the noteworthy recreation economy stories from the past month. Government Puts Outdoor Industry Size at $373 Billion That’s 2 percent of overall GDP—putting it on par with other major economy-drivers (and larger than oil and mining). FIND YOUR CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT DATA Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) has released congressional-level Outdoor... Read More →

  • Visitor Spending Effects – Economic Contributions of National Park Visitor Spending

    Here’s an interesting page on the economic impact of visitation to our National Parks.  Visitor Spending Effects – Economic Contributions of National Park Visitor Spending This interactive tool is a collaboration between the National Park Service and the U.S. Geological Survey and displays results from the Visitor Spending Effects report series. Economic contributions of National... Read More →