capitalize on this new customer interest and demand. Temagami Marine's outlook in the spring was bleak: their revenues were down 86%. But then the market for Canada's recreational businesses started to take off. For Temagami, a marina that stores 100 boats for owners who live abroad, this more localized market growth was pivotal. Their more remote location also gave them an advantage in a market looking for socially distanced destinations. As marina co-owner Kim Krech put it in an interview with TVO. org, "Canadians who couldn't travel abroad started spending their money here." As of August, their business was up 15% for the year. While that kind of success is far from universal, many parts of the U.S. experienced this same surge in new customers. Will this growing interest and participation in the outdoor recreation sector be a sustained trend moving forward? It would be great news for U.S. marinas and boating if it were and The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) is actively working to support that. The ORR, comprised of 32 national associations (including the Association of Marina Industries, Boat U.S., and the National Marine Manufacturers Association), released A Roadmap for a 21st Century Outdoor Recreation Economy in August. Seeking to "revitalize America through recreation," the document advocates for policy changes and funding that will not only help the U.S. get through COVID, but will help grow a key and often underrecognized economic sector that generates $778 billion annually, supports 5.2 million jobs, and strengthens the health of our communities and our public lands and waters. The Roadmap acknowledges the toll that COVID has taken on the outdoor recreation sector. For example, 89% of the industry's businesses were reporting a YTD decrease in sales, with 39% seeing a drop of 50-75% or more. But as ORR also points out, "Prior to COVID-19 the recreation economy was growing faster than the economy as a whole in every indicator." One of the marina industry's ongoing concerns has been attracting the next generation of recreational boaters. It would be a very positive development to have found at least part of that generation during the pandemic. Recovery from
Marina Dock Age November/December 2020 19
OUTDOOR RECREATION VALUE ADDED: PERCENT OF STATE GDP, 2017
WA 2.2 ND 2.3 NE 1.9 KS 1.8 PA 1.8 NY 1.6 IA 1.9 KY 2.1 WV 2.0 VA 1.8 MI 2.0 WI 2.4 IL 1.8 OH 1.6 OK 2.0 TX 2.1 AL 2.0 OR 2.9 ID 3.2 SD 2.7 MT 5.1 WY 4.4 UT 3.3 AZ 2.7 NM 2.5 LA 2.5 AR 2.3 MS 2.4 SC 3.1 FL 4.3 GA 2.2 TN 2.1 NC 2.2 MO 2.2 MN 2.7 IN 2.8 ME 4.8 NH 3.3 VT 4.5 MA 1.7 RI 2.3 CT 1.4 NJ 1.9 DE 1.8
QUINTILE PERCENT OF STATE GDP
MD 1.8 DC 1.2
3.3 to 5.4 2.5 to 3.3 2.1 to 2.5 1.9 to 2.1 1.2 to 1.9 U.S. Share = 2.2
CO 3.3 NV 2.8 AK 4.2 HI 5.4 CA 1.9
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
The outdoor recreation industry represents a significant percentage of national and state GDP - and has the potential to grow in response to COVID-19. The impact of COVID-19 on the construction industry has been one of the major challenges that Cyprus' Ayia Napa Marina has weathered in 2020.
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