Outdoor Enthusiasts Lead The Way As Travel Comes Back
Over the past year of pandemic living, the only somewhat normal activities I’ve been able to take advantage of happened in the great outdoors. This included a daily 3-4 mile hike and an 8 mile bike ride along the shore of Lake Michigan. Then, from May through October, weather permitting, getting out on the lake fishing for salmon. Not surprisingly, I wasn't the only one doing this, as participation in outdoor activities skyrocketed in 2020. One of the silver linings of the COVID lockdowns is that Americans rediscovered their love of the great outdoors. And all signs point to this trend continuing to grow in 2021.
““The 2.2 percent jump in total participation over the past year is the largest annual increase we’ve seen since we began tracking the numbers, and it translates to many millions of additional participants who discovered the outdoors in 2020,” stated Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) Executive Director Lise Aangeenbrug. Whether hiking, camping, fishing, golfing, snow sports, or water sports, Americans sought out pandemic-appropriate recreational activities in record numbers. Hiking participation increased by 8.1 million, camping by 7.9 million, and freshwater fishing by 3.4 million.
The size and scale of the outdoor economy always seems to surprise people. Consumer spending on outdoor recreation is in excess of $887 billion annually (excluding the $84+ billion spent on golf). Outdoor gear accounts for $184.5 billion of the total and a whopping $702.3 billion is spent on travel related activities. More than 7.6 million jobs are connected to the outdoor economy. What all this says to me is that as people start to travel again, focusing on attracting outdoor enthusiasts will likely generate early and strong returns.
Most destinations can take advantage of this opportunity. Whether in a wilderness area or an urban environment, there are always outdoor activities available that will attract enthusiasts. For example, who would ever guess that downtown Milwaukee has arguably the best shore fishing for monster rainbow and brown trout in the world. These types of urban outdoor activities abound and they can provide the tipping point for travelers to choose your destination.
With so many new outdoor enthusiasts looking to partake in a wide variety of outdoor activities, there is a major opportunity for destinations and gear makers/marketers to work together to capture a portion of this incremental business. These partnerships can provide win-win-win situations, delivering excellent user experiences while generating new revenue streams for the destination and their partners. The end result will be:
Consumers gain by having an enhanced outdoors experience
Destinations generate new visitors who will likely come back again in the future
Gear makers/marketers drive incremental sales and brand loyalty
There are four steps to building a successful Outdoor Destination Marketing program. First, you need to do an audit of your destination to create and prioritize a list of available outdoor activities. This will help you to choose which activities to focus your efforts on. Next, identify the key manufacturers and retailers that serve consumers participating in those specific outdoor activities. Then choose the best options and reach out to each to gauge their interest in partnering with you, focusing on those you feel will provide the best support. Finally, don’t forget to consider media partnerships that will help to build awareness and interest.
The Four Steps to Building a Successful Outdoor Destination Marketing Program
Audit your destination and prioritize the outdoor activities available
Match the outdoor activities with gear makers and marketers
Reach out, explore, negotiate, and build partnership programs
Add media partners to leverage ad budgets and drive awareness and interest
Now is the time to start the process of building marketing programs that target outdoor enthusiasts. Consumers are itching to travel again and since outdoor activities are safer than indoor options it makes sense that these will be the first that people will travel to. As my mom would always say, “get outside and play!”