Survey Data Reveals A Positive Shift For Outdoor Industry

It's hard to believe, but the latest data from the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable showing a 65 percent year-over-year decrease in sales among outdoor businesses actually counts as good news.

Of course, it's all about context.

ORR, in partnership with the Oregon State University Outdoor Recreation Economy Initiative, has conducted several large-scale surveys of outdoor companies since the pandemic began. These surveys include responses from 23 national outdoor recreation trade associations, representing over 25,000 businesses with nearly 2.5 million employees.

The latest results, which present data for August, constitute the first time the numbers have not trended downward since the first survey was conducted in April. Responses to questions about supply chain disruptions, layoffs, and sales indicate that many outdoor businesses are headed in a positive direction for the first time in months.

"This is the first time the industry showed some positive-trending recovery numbers," said Lindsey Davis, vice president of ORR. "We had been hearing positive things anecdotally from members in late May and early June, but this confirmed it."

It's heartening news, but it by no means indicates that we're out of the woods completely. The whole picture is—as usual—complicated.

Check out the full article from SNEWS here.