Economics of Outdoor
Recreation in Alabama
Tom Allen
Tom@southwickassociates.com
Outdoor Recreation is BIG!
 57% of Americans (and Alabama residents)
participate in some form of outdoor recreation
 Outdoor recreation is a key “industry”
 The economic contributions are growing
 Clean water and healthy environment are the
“industry infrastructure” for outdoor recreation
Consumer Spending on Outdoor
Recreation in U.S.
Outdoor Recreation
Activities
Trail sports
Bicycling
Camping
Snow sports
Water sports
Fishing
Hunting
Wildlife watching
Motorcycle Riding
Off Roading
TOTAL
Source: Outdoor Industry Association
Total Spending
($ billion)
$ 80.6
$ 81.3
$ 143.4
$ 53.0
$ 86.2
$ 35.5
$ 23.2
$ 33.3
$ 42.5
$ 66.5
$ 645.6
Source: Outdoor Industry Association
“Jobs vs.
Environment”
Conservation Investments:
Alabama
Source of Funding
Federal govt.
$ Million
$ 373.1
AL %
69%
US %
60%
State govt.
$ 89.8
17%
24%
Local govt.*
$ 9.2
2%
4%
$ 70.3
13%
11%
Private sector
Total
$ 542.4
100% 100%
*Includes only funds transferred from state government for selected conservation purposes.
Economic Contributions of
Conservation Spending in AL
Direct
Impacts
Total
Impacts*
($ million)
Total Spending
Jobs
Income
State/Local Taxes
Federal Taxes
$ 542.4
3,214
$ 251.0
$ 12.9
$ 44.6
*includes multiplier effects
Source: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
$ 636.2
5,675
$ 340.7
$ 27.9
$ 64.7
Outdoor Recreation
in Alabama
Outdoor Recreation
Participation in Alabama
Non-motorized
Trail Sports
Bicycling
Camping
Water Sports
sub-total
Motorized
Motorcycling
Off-roading
Boating
RV'ing
29%
27%
23%
15%
52% sub-total
Overall = 57%
Source: Outdoor Industry Association
11%
18%
21%
10%
36%
Economic Contributions of
Outdoor Recreation: Alabama
Spending
Gross State Product
Jobs
Income
Federal Taxes
State/Local Taxes
Source: Outdoor Industry Association
Direct
Economic
Spending
Contributions
($ million)
$ 7,548.5
$ 10,895.8
$ 3,089.3
$ 5,928.1
85,836.1
135,249.4
$ 1,982.9
$ 3,636.9
$ 480.6
$ 922.6
$ 493.6
$ 906.3
Outdoor Recreation Case Study:
Lake Martin
Recreational Activity
on Lake Martin, AL
Pleasure boating
No specific activity
Fishing from boat
Swimming, beach use
Water skiing, tubing, other towing
Fishing from shore
Tent or vehicle camping
Jet skiing
Other
Total
26.2%
20.2%
20.2%
15.1%
6.8%
3.5%
2.8%
1.5%
3.7%
100.0%
Annual Recreation Spending
at Lake Martin, AL
Trip-related spending
Transportation
Food & beverages
Trip-related gear and
services
Lodging
Miscellaneous
Sub-total
Equipment and accessories
$ 4,448,013
Boats & trailers
$ 3,593,558
Boat accessories &
repairs
$ 4,331,428
$ 461,592
Fishing equipment
$ 858,862
$ 632,323 Sub-total
$ 27,881,720
$ 33,072,010
$ 623,182
$ 9,758,667
Total Recreation Spending:
$ 42,830,677
Economic Contributions of
Outdoor Recreation
at Lake Martin, AL
Output
Direct
Spending
$ 42,830,677
Multiplier
Effect
$ 10,213,280
Total
$ 50,667,180
Income
$ 6,801,174
$ 3,048,858
$ 9,850,032
212
85
297
Employment
Federal Taxes
$ 1,975,430
State & Local Taxes
$ 2,058,056
Outdoor Recreation
 85,800 direct Alabama jobs
 $2.0 Billion of income
 2.1% of state private GDP
Almost 3x more jobs than auto mfg
and as much income
Nearly 2x income of paper industry
Federal Funding for Conservation
Budget Authority as % of
1.4%
1.2%
Conservation and land mgmt
Recreational resources
1.0%
0.8%
0.6%
0.4%
0.2%
0.0%
1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001 2006 2011 2016
New Information!
Economic
information is a
communication
tool!
Questions?
Tom Allen
Tom@southwickassociates.com