ARKANSAS, USA — From hunting to fishing to hiking and cycling, outdoor recreation is a big part of Arkansas, and that makes it an important part of the state’s tourism mix.
Over the past year, according to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC), 43% of Americans over the age of 13 said they would do more outdoor activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Across the nation, 133.3 million hunters, anglers and wildlife watchers spend about $156.9 billion annually on their activities.
Nearly 24% of those people travel to other states for these activities, and that equals great opportunities for tourism, said Spencer Griffith, AGFC marketing manager during the Growing Tourism through Hunting, Fishing and Watchable Wildlife Recreation session of the Governor’s Conference on Tourism on Wednesday (March 3).
“Those are just possible tourism dollars to our communities if we can just attract some of them,” Griffith said.
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