New Outdoor Recreation Economy Numbers Announced Today

During Advocacy Day in 2016, many members of the RV Industry asked their Members of Congress to support the REC Act, a bill that would direct the Department of Commerce to measure the impact of outdoor recreation. Thanks to the work of those advocates, as well as advocates from across the outdoor recreation industry who succeeded in getting the REC Act passed, the official economic impact will be released today.

To mark the release, the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) will host a Capitol Hill briefing to discuss the report. Joining ORR will be Wilbur Ross, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce as well as officials from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Interior Rick May. The report, the Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account (ORSA), was funded by the U. S. Departments of Interior and Agriculture and completed by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis.

“The outdoor recreation industry is growing rapidly, and we’re thrilled to see its economic impact represented among other large contributors to the nation’s GDP,” said Frank Hugelmeyer, ORR vice chair and president of the RV Industry Association. “The outdoor recreation economy deserves to be a national priority, and the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable looks forward to working collaboratively with leaders at the federal and state levels to implement policies that will ensure our industry continues to be a generator of American jobs for years to come.”

The full report, as well as takeaways from the Capitol Hill briefing, will be sent to members this afternoon.