Latest news with #ArkansasOutdoorEconomySummit
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
REPORT: Outdoor recreation adds $7.3B to Arkansas economy
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Outdoor recreation contributed $7.3 billion to the state's GDP and supported 68,431 jobs, according to a report from Bentonville-based Heartland Forward. The findings, released on Feb. 24, at the Arkansas Outdoor Economy Summit, look at the sector's role in the state's $9.9 billion tourism industry. The outdoor recreation sector directly contributed $4.5 billion (2.5%) to Arkansas' GDP, reflecting a 33% growth from 2019 to 2023, according to the Arkansas Outdoor Recreation Impact Report. In 2023 alone, outdoor recreation generated $926 million in federal, $729 million in state and $240 million in local tax revenue. Arkansas ranks fourth nationwide for the share of its GDP attributed to outdoor product manufacturing. Bentonville West High School students win STEM competition for cancer detection app Other key takeaways include: Outdoor amenity construction saw a 52.7% increase in GDP contribution over the past four years, largely due to bike trail expansion projects. Regional employment data shows that 31.3% of Arkansas' outdoor recreation jobs are in Northwest Arkansas, with 27.2% in Central Arkansas. The fishing sector experienced a 36.8% increase in GDP contribution between 2019 and 2023, and Arkansas ranks sixth in the nation for the economic impact of its boating industry. The report also introduces a new dataset that uses artificial intelligence to analyze 90,000 companies and identify outdoor recreation-focused businesses in Arkansas. Simultaneously, state officials released the 2025 Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP), a five-year strategy outlining key investment, accessibility and conservation priorities. The plan is essential for securing federal funding through programs like the National Park Service's Land and Water Conservation Fund. To sustain growth, the Office of Outdoor Recreation is investing in trail development, water access projects and workforce training through the 2025-2030 Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP). Major projects include enhancements at Petit Jean State Park, Delta Heritage Trail, Lake Conway, and Bayou Bartholomew. Workforce initiatives, such as NWACC's Trail Technician program, aim to prepare Arkansans for careers in outdoor recreation. The plan outlines a five-year strategy to expand infrastructure, improve accessibility and secure federal funding and promote outdoor innovation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Governor's conference highlights tourism industry in Arkansas
BENTONVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Leaders from across the state attended the governor's 51st annual conference on tourism. Secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Outdoor Tourism, Shea Lewis, says tourism is one of Arkansas' top industries. 'For Arkansas, tourism is the second leading industry in our state, so it's a huge economic driver for the gross domestic product that keeps our state going.' This year's governor's conference looked a little different, though, because it joined forces with the Arkansas Outdoor Economy Summit. The event featured educational sessions on tourism and travel trends, the economics of the outdoors and industry workforce development efforts. Lewis says the conference is a way to share success stories from all over the state. 'We hear great stories of accomplishments from northeast Arkansas to northwest Arkansas from southwest to southeast to central Arkansas that great things all come together when the tourism of the state work together to promote our state.' Kalene Griffith is the CEO of Visit Bentonville. She attended today's conference to share insight on how the Bentonville area has grown over the last year. Griffith says that the COVID-19 pandemic saw many visitors traveling to Arkansas, looking for outdoor activities suited for social distancing. 'We have so many outdoor amenities, such as the trails, the lakes, the rivers,' Griffith said. 'We could be fishing, hunting, riding bikes.' She says this increase in demand for outdoor activities established Bentonville as not just a place for business opportunities. 'With the growth of the outdoor industry, the trail developments and the arts, we have grown as this initiative for the leisure market. We have always been a business destination, but now we are a leisure market.' This is also having an impact on local businesses. Griffith says that Visit Bentonville hosted 310 events in 2024 that added roughly $42 million to the local economy. In 2024, Visit Bentonville conducted a study that found that 1/4 of patrons at any given restaurant in Bentonville are from out of town. Its study also found that roughly 50% of businesses' income comes directly from out-of-state visitors. 'It introduces people to our area that have never been here, and hopefully we're going to see them come back and they become a regular visitor for us,' Griffith said. The Governor's Conference ends with an awards banquet on Tuesday night. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
