There are many economic benefits of outdoor recreation. Some of the more important ones are hiking, fishing, hunting and wildlife watching. Each of these areas have their unique benefits.
Hiking
Hiking is a great way to spend some body fat and enjoy the sun. At the same time you can expose yourself to a bite of a snake or an attack of a bear – none of these you’d enjoy I’m sure. But usually people do know where it’s safe to have a good long hike. Hikers are people who like to stay focused. When you are too focused on your day job or some other thing at hand, you easily forget that there is an outside world and the nature that has a different way of living. Getting out of a stressful day at work and entering a good long hike surrounded by many wonders of nature can be life-changing. Hiking can spark many economic activities. For example: hikers need to rest at a nice spot and enjoy the refreshments. They also need to sleep over and eat great food. All of these accommodations really help the local economy.
Fishing
Fishing gear can be rented or bought. Guides can also be hired if you are in an unfamiliar spot. In case you decide you want to fish in the middle of the lake, you might want to rent a boat and fill it up with some food (can be other than fish, but if not you can just prepare the fish that you catch). While hiking doesn’t require any special permissions from the state, fishing often does. And sometimes there is a waiting list for a fishing license to be obtained. Among the economic perks I listed, I bet there are some other ones that I didn’t think of.
Hunting
Hunting is a core skill of humans. It has been evolving since the humans themselves. In this field we have a few core economic benefits from Fishing, such are the licenses (you are probably required to have necessary licenses), you might need to hire a guide who will make sure you don’t get hurt. Of course, you might need some gear such as weapons or other hunting gear. Maybe a good off-road car that can take you closer to your prey. At the end of your hunting season you might need a really good cook to prepare all the animals you managed to “get”. Hunting has great value for every state or country that can offer it- if you jumped through all the hoops and you managed to get some prey. Nowadays, meat also costs money and you might be able to make up the money you spent on the license. But if not, you can just enjoy the nature and take lots of pictures of the animals you encounter and that leads us into our next field.
Wildlife Watching
How far did you get to a tiger or a lion in the Savanna where they actually live? It would make your heart beat faster, I’m sure. Same goes for many other animals. Also no, wildlife watching is not the same as going into the zoo. It is a thousand times better as it includes the whole adventure. As a whole package it has a great economic benefit to countries and states that can offer this service to visitors. Just make sure to have a guide.
