Recreation economy highlighted at Axios NWA event
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Axios' Mike Allen interviews Katherine Andrews, director of outdoor recreation for the state Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. Photo: Stephen Ironside/Axios
More than 200 people gathered at the Record in Bentonville last Thursday for an Axios event focused on the recreation economy in the Natural State.
The big picture: The industry in Arkansas grew 23% from 2020 to 2021, according to the state Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism.
- Outdoor recreation accounts for 2.4% of the state's GDP and creates nearly 40,000 jobs, about 3% of all employment in Arkansas.
Details: Speakers interviewed by Axios' Mike Allen and Worth Sparkman shared their perspective on how the industry is shaping economic, social and health impacts in the state.
- Guests included Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism's Outdoor Recreation director Katherine Andrews, Laneshift founder and CEO Ryan Hale, Bike.POC co-founder Bea Apple and University of Arkansas' Greenhouse Outdoor Recreation Program director Phil Shellhammer.
What they said: "We've got about $3.5 billion of GDP from outdoor recreation in the state," Andrews told Allen. Andrews was appointed to the newly created role focused on the industry last November.
- "Biking in Northwest Arkansas generates $137 million a year for our economy. That's not like one event. That's not a one-time. That is every year," Hale said, noting a 2017 Walton Family Foundation study. "It's only grown since then."
- "We recognize that in order to achieve the physical infrastructure that it's going to take to make active transportation better at a city block level. … It's going to take [an infrastructure of diverse people]," Apple said, advocating for increased access to recreation for marginalized communities.
- "If you look at Northwest Arkansas … there are multiple organizations well-funded and well-thought-through to help bring people in that otherwise would feel shunned or don't feel a part of it at all," Shellhammer told Allen.
Go deeper: Watch the event online.
At the event, Tom Walton, co-founder of holding company Runway Group, alluded to an announcement related to gravel cycling.
What's happening: Runway will on Monday reveal the Arkansas Rural Recreational Roads initiative — Arkansas R3 — that will designate specific routes where cyclists can enjoy low-traffic, dirt- and gravel-road cycling.
- The initiative begins with routes in Benton County, but will eventually offer guidance throughout NWA and the state.
The big picture: The sport has gained popularity in recent years as cyclists look to travel places not previously seen from two wheels and to avoid increasingly distracted drivers.
- There are more than 1,200 miles of gravel roads in Benton County, Walton said.
What they're saying: "Gravel is the fastest-growing form of cycling and is more accessible to beginners than mountain biking," Walton said in a news release. "A significant number of people have access to this activity right from their front porch."