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Made in America: U.S. Government Promotion of Outdoor Recreation_____________________________________________________________________________IntroductionAmerica's lands and waterways are woven into our nation's culture; they are a destination for many domestic and international travelers, as well as icons of the unique and diverse treasures of our country. Beyond their beauty, publicly-managed parks, forests, other public lands and waterways – and the gateway communities that serve them - are crucial economic resources – providing jobs to American families and creating hundreds of billions of dollars in economic output through wages, direct consumer spending, trade in services, and revenue from taxation, among other sources. If America is going to sustain, or even grow, its market share in the competition for global tourism and recreation spending, it is more important now than ever to promote and invest in America's outdoor recreation, tourism and hospitality economies. In addition, changing consumer behavior brought on by demographic shifts means that the U.S. outdoor recreation industry and the federal government agencies and departments with responsibility for managing our public lands and waters will have to stay relevant and engaged with a younger and more diverse generation of outdoor recreation enthusiasts. Aggressive U.S. government promotion of outdoor recreation is an essential component of this long-term strategy for economic growth and enrollment of the current and next generation in outdoor recreation activities. With these challenges in mind, the U.S. government must expand the resources it invests in the promotion and support of our public lands and waters, and look for additional opportunities and resources to support continued growth of the outdoor recreation economy.Background___________________________________________________________________________Outdoor recreation in the United States is a truly American-made industry: the experience of recreation in America's great outdoors cannot be outsourced to other countries or replaced with technology. The industry creates billions of dollars in economic impact from manufacturing, retail sales, and user fees, including:$120 billion in yearly outdoor recreation product sales, including apparel, footwear, equipment, vehicles, accessories, and services;$121.5 billion in spending related to the recreational boating industry, with 95% of boats sold in U.S. markets produced here in the U.S. – responsible for over 650,000 jobs, 34,833 U.S. businesses, and $1.83 billion in engine and boat exports;$110 billion in economic contributions from the hunting and target shooting industries, including $48 billion in annual sales, $34 billion in wages, and $15 billion in tax revenue – supporting 866,000 total U.S. jobs;$49.7 billion in economic contributions from the recreation vehicle industry – responsible for over 289,000 full-time U.S. jobs, $15.8 billion in wages and benefits, and $5.7 billion in federal, state, and local tax revenue;$40.9 billion in economic impact from the powersports industry retail marketplace alone, employing over 80,000 Americans in powersports retail outlets, and $3.2 billion in total payroll; and$27 billion generated by the snowmobile industry, supporting 34,000 full-time jobs and 160,000 tourism-related jobs.In addition, the U.S. is a top international travel destination and the world leader in spending by international visitors. The United States set records for international visitation in four of the last five years. In 2014, the U.S. hosted over 75 million international visitors, with over $220 billion spent by international visitors in the travel and tourism industries. In turn, this industry supported nearly 8 million jobs, amounting to nearly $1.6 trillion in travel and tourism output. Data collected by the Department of Commerce shows the wide variety of activities—including outdoor recreation—that these international visitors participated in while visiting the U.S. A look at cultural heritage and leisure travelers sheds light on these trends. Of the 19.6 million cultural heritage overseas visitors to the United States (not including visitors from Canada or Mexico)?60% reported visiting a national park or monument, ?11% participated in water sports, ?8% participated in camping or hiking, ?6% participated in environmental excursions, 2% participated in hunting or fishing, and ?2% participated in snow sports. These data do not take into account the additional and sizable economic benefit generated from national forests, BLM lands, and other federal lands and waters that provide for a diverse set of uses, including motorized and other forms of recreation. For both cultural heritage and leisure foreign tourists, national parks and monuments alone attracted a larger number of visitors than the entire states of New York and Florida combined. These figures grossly understate the economic impact of outdoor recreation as they do not account for recreation activity in other public or privately-owned parks, forests, waterways, or gateway communities.In 2014, the U.S. held nearly 15% of the total market share of global traveler spending – the highest share of any country in the world, and well ahead of our nearest competitors. A significant share of this spending flows directly or indirectly from outdoor recreation on public lands and waterways. Domestic spending by American outdoor enthusiasts is also a crucial component of the outdoor recreation industry. More than 140 million Americans make outdoor recreation an important part of their lives, in the process putting nearly $650 billion dollars back into the economy every year and directly employing 6.1 million of their fellow citizens. However, the success and size of the outdoor economy to date should not give rise to complacency. The global travel market has become increasingly competitive. Other countries actively and aggressively market their natural wonders and other tourism sites, and new destinations are perennially competing for market share. As a result of this growing competition in international tourism, the U.S. share of global tourism has declined over the years, from a high of 20.3% in 2000 to a low of 13.5% in 2007, and has barely recovered to around 14.5%, according to recent estimates from the UN World Tourism Organization. Existing programs that illustrate what can and should be done___________________________________________________________________________ is a one-stop online portal that allows people interested in outdoor recreation to plan their trips to the nation's federal lands and waters. It also provides site visitors with travel routes, lodging information, permit requirements, and guided tours. The site also includes a reservation system that allows for online reservation services for Forest Service, Army Corps of Engineers, and National Park Service facilities. Information provided by the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture demonstrates the power of this one-stop portal and its popularity with people seeking outdoor recreation opportunities on American public lands and waters. In 2015, boasted more than 22.3 million sessions logged, 12 million visitors, and 220 million page views --- a 31 percent increase over 2014. Today, the site hosts more than 3,200 individual facilities with more than 90,000 campsites, 12 ticketed tours or events, and 26 locations accessed through permit or by lottery. The 5-year average annual return in recreation fees collected through was $90.5 million. These fees are used to provide visitor services and improve the visitor experience at public outdoor recreation sites.Moving forward, it will be important to build upon the success of and, in the process, improve visitors' experiences on public lands and waters, and further increase revenues for the federal departments and agencies with responsibility for managing our public lands and waters. In 2014, the U.S. Forest Service issued a request for proposals for which it revised in response to comments in 2015. A new contract was awarded on May 13, 2016 by the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Interior Department to provide the next 10 years of service for , but that contract award is currently the subject of a protest. This critical resource is too important to get caught up in bureaucratic bickering.Assuming the Government Accountability Office promptly and finally resolves the protest, the involved departments and agencies, along with their new contractors, should set to work immediately to develop and release " 2.0" --- a more widely available, easier-to-use web portal that seeks to include an ever-expanding array of outdoor recreation options. 2.0 should be flexible enough to incorporate agile development and the latest technologies, but also adhere both to the U.S. Digital Service's "Digital Service Plays" and to widely accepted open government principles. In addition, the departments should find an appropriate way to give third-party non-governmental services means to help the public sign up for outdoor recreation adventures through and link to every state's and local government's outdoor-recreation-related web site so that users will gain ready access to these recreational resources, as well.Every Kid in a Park Initiative The current administration, in partnership with the federal departments and agencies with responsibility over public lands, launched the Every Kid in a Park initiative to provide an opportunity for children across the country to experience their federal public lands in person. The initiative provides students in the fourth grade free access to national parks, forests, BLM lands, and wildlife refuges to encourage these kids and their families to explore millions of acres of public lands and waters across the country. This important initiative to get younger generations involved in outdoor recreation not only improves the health and wellbeing of citizens, but also serves to educate and instill the important values of environmental stewardship and conservation in the next generation of park-goers. In addition, the initiative presents an opportunity for older generations to reconnect with the great outdoors, fostering continued growth of the outdoor recreation economy.Free Annual Passes for America's HeroesIn honor of their courageous service to our country, active U.S. military members and the dependents of deployed military in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard, as well as most current members of the U.S. Reserves and National Guard, have access to free annual passes to federal public lands. These passes cover any entrance fees to Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service sites, and standard amenity fees at Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation sites. In addition, annual pass holders may bring along up to 3 additional adults at sites that charge per person.Veterans are not automatically eligible for the free military service member pass, but may be eligible for free annual passes under other programs. Congress should consider providing all U.S. veterans with free or discounted access to America's federal public lands and their facilities.Proposed solutions: Invest in promotion of the outdoor recreation industry___________________________________________________________________________The outdoor recreation economy is an essential magnet driving revenue and growth for the U.S. travel and tourism economy. The U.S. has many diverse attractions across the country with its public lands, waters, and iconic historical sites attracting visitors to our national treasures. The U.S. government must play a central role in shaping policies that directly impact the outdoor recreation industry. Many nations competing with the U.S. in the world travel and tourism market and the outdoor recreation segment of that market have Ministries of Tourism and sizable budgets to spend on advertising and other means of encouraging foreign visitors to choose their countries. While the creation of such a department within the U.S. government may not be logistically or politically feasible in the short term, the federal government should seek opportunities, new initiatives, and additional funding that would promote our nation as a travel destination with a special focus on encouraging foreign visitors to participate in diverse and unique American outdoor recreation experiences. Such efforts would complement a broader strategy of elevating the importance of outdoor recreation at the federal level.The next Congress and President Trump should work together to expand programs that promote participation in outdoor recreation within the U.S. and around the world. The next Administration, in collaboration with lawmakers, must remain an energetic advocate of all forms of outdoor recreation, encouraging and supporting the growing interests of the outdoor recreation community. ................
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