Table 3.2 — Indexes of demand for outdoor recreation in ttie contiguous States by activity group 

 and type of activity, 1977, with projections to 2030 — continued 



(1977 X TOO) 



Activity group and 



Projection 

 level' 



Projections 



type of activity 



1977 



1990 



2000 



2010 



2020 



2030 



Snow and ice: 



High 



100 



139 



179 



239 



300 



377 





Medium 



100 



123 



143 



175 



207 



240 





Low 



100 



113 



124 



137 



155 



170 



Cross-country sl<iing 



High 



100 



154 



211 



290 



376 



479 





Medium 



100 



133 



161 



200 



241 



280 





Low 



100 



118 



134 



151 



172 



190 



Downhill skiing 



High 



100 



162 



227 



318 



416 



538 





Medium 



100 



142 



178 



228 



279 



334 





Low 



100 



125 



146 



171 



199 



226 



Ice skating 



High 



100 



137 



176 



234 



293 



367 





Medium 



100 



123 



143 



174 



205 



237 





Low 



100 



113 



124 



138 



155 



170 



Sledding 



High 



100 



131 



165 



218 



268 



334 





Medium 



100 



117 



132 



160 



187 



215 





Low 



100 



109 



116 



126 



140 



154 



Snowmobiling 



High 



100 



126 



151 



191 



229 



277 





Medium 



100 



109 



120 



141 



161 



181 





Low 



100 



107 



114 



122 



133 



141 



' Pro|ection levels are keyed to the projections of population, economic activity and income shown in table 1.1. 

 ^ Index of projected mcreases m population (medium level). 



International Demands 



International travel for outdoor recreation con- 

 tinues to expand despite the constraining effects of 

 the world energy shortages and inflationary pressures 

 on disposable income. Historically, the number of 

 U.S. citizens traveling to other nations has far out- 

 weighed the number of foreign visitors to the United 

 States. The United States Travel Survey'" statistics 

 reveal that 133 million foreign trips were made by 

 U.S. citizens for outdoor recreation in 1977. This 

 amounts to 10 percent of all foreign trips made. Over 

 half of the trips by Americans to other countries were 

 to Canada, while another 14 percent were to Mexico. 

 Europe is by far most popular overseas destination, 

 accounting for over 40 percent of the overseas tour- 

 ists in 1977. 



One indication of the outdoor recreational activi- 

 ties which American tourists enjoy in other countries 

 can be found in a study by the Canadian Government 

 Office of Tourism. '5 Its survey of United States auto- 

 mobile visitors found that trips for pleasure were the 

 most popular, and that activities participated in by 



'"U.S. Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census. U.S. 

 travel survey, 1977. Washington, D.C. 1977. 



''Canadian Government Office of Tourism. Canadian summer 

 travel surveys— 1977 auto exit survey. Ottawa, Ontario, Can. 

 1977. 



the largest numbers of visitors included swimming, 

 fishing, hiking, picnicking, motor boating, and canoe- 

 ing. Most outdoor recreation occurs in the settled 

 southern one-third of Canada, which contains about 

 a million square miles. Land in the northern two- 

 thirds of the country, the majority of which is pub- 

 licly owned and under Federal or Provincial jurisdic- 

 tion, is open to outdoor recreational activities, such 

 as fishing and hunting. 



Trips for pleasure were also the primary reason 

 that travelers from other countries visited the United 

 States. During the period of 1965-1978, the travel 

 market to the United States grew at an average 

 annual rate of 7 percent in terms of visitor arrivals, 

 and nearly 12 percent in terms of tourist spending. By 

 1978, the international market reached 19.8 million 

 arrivals and nearly $33 billion in expenditures.'* 

 About 57 percent of the arrivals in the United States 

 are from Canada, 31 percent from overseas, and 12 

 percent from Mexico. However, arrivals from over- 

 seas contribute 49 percent of the total expenditures 

 here, while Canada contributes 29 percent and Mex- 

 ico 22 percent. 



The designations of many visitors from other coun- 

 tries tend to reflect the point of origin. The Pacific 



'f'Shipka, B. D. International travel to and from the United 

 States. Paper presented at the Travel Outlook Forum, U.S. Travel 

 Service, Research and Analysis Division, Washington, D.C. 1976. 



70 



