Table 3.3 — Indexes of demand for outdoor recreation in ttie contiguous States by activity group 



and region, in 1977, witli projections to 2030 



(1977 X 100) 



Activity group and region with 



Projections 



percentage of national total 



1977 



1990 



2000 



2010 



2020 



2030 



Land: 















Northeast (26) 



100 



109 



118 



129 



141 



152 



North Central (27) 



100 



110 



120 



133 



146 



158 



Southeast (15) 



100 



111 



124 



141 



158 



171 



South Central (11) 



100 



109 



118 



131 



145 



156 



Rocky Mountains and Great Plains (7) 



100 



111 



121 



132 



146 



158 



Northern Rocky Mountains' 



100 



102 



106 



112 



120 



126 



Southern Rocky Mountains^ 



100 



118 



131 



146 



164 



179 



Great Plains^ 



100 



104 



110 



119 



129 



139 



Pacific Northwest (3) 



100 



113 



125 



139 



153 



166 



Pacific Southwest (11) 



100 



118 



135 



155 



174 



188 



All regions (100) 



100 



111 



121 



135 



149 



161 



Water: 















Northeast (26) 



100 



118 



134 



157 



179 



205 



North Central (28) 



100 



119 



136 



161 



185 



211 



Southeast (16) 



100 



118 



135 



163 



191 



218 



South Central (11) 



100 



116 



129 



152 



175 



199 



Rocky Mountain and Great Plains (6) 



100 



114 



125 



142 



161 



180 



Northern Rocky Mountains' 



100 



105 



110 



120 



133 



143 



Southern Rocky Mountains^ 



100 



121 



136 



158 



181 



204 



Great Plains^ 



100 



107 



114 



128 



142 



158 



Pacific Northwest (3) 



100 



116 



130 



150 



169 



188 



Pacific Southwest (10) 



100 



121 



140 



167 



192 



214 



All regions (100) 



100 



118 



134 



158 



181 



206 



Snow and ice: 















Northeast (32) 



100 



126 



148 



180 



212 



246 



North Central (43) 



100 



123 



143 



177 



211 



248 



Southeast (5) 



100 



100 



111 



134 



155 



175 



South Central (4) 



100 



98 



104 



125 



142 



161 



Rocky Mountains and Great Plains (6) 



100 



123 



143 



170 



200 



228 



Northern Rocky Mountains' 



100 



113 



125 



144 



164 



182 



Southern Rocky Mountains^ 



100 



131 



155 



188 



224 



258 



Great Plains^ 



100 



115 



131 



153 



177 



200 



Pacific Northwest (2) 



100 



123 



144 



175 



207 



235 



Pacific Southwest (8) 



100 



126 



149 



157 



225 



257 



All regions (100) 



100 



123 



143 



175 



207 



240 



'Northern Rocky Mountains includes the States of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. 



^Southern Rocky Mountains includes the States of Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. 



'Great Plains includes the States of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas 



Coast is the most popular travel destination of any 

 region in the Nation, with many of its international 

 visitors originating in Asia and Oceania. Other popu- 

 lar areas are the Northeast, especially for Europeans, 

 and the Rocky Mountain and Great Plains, which 

 receive more long term visits than other regions. 

 These extended stays suggest that the visitors making 

 them tended to prefer touring and outdoor recrea- 

 tional activities. 



In 1976, U.S. Travel Service's Market Survey'^ also 

 reports that most visitors from other countries "saw 

 beautiful scenery," while over a third participated in 

 warm weather sports and 4 percent in winter sports 



and activities; more specifically, 9 percent went camp- 

 ing, and 3 percent went snow skiing. Initial estimates 

 indicate that international visitors represented about 

 2 percent of all users of the Nation's outdoor recrea- 

 tional facilities.'^ 



Overall, trends in international tourism over the 

 past decade suggest that if the steady expansion of the 

 world economy and repeated improvements in trans- 

 portation technology continue, the Nation's interna- 

 tional travel trade deficit eventually can be reduced. 

 The Nation's balance-of-trade deficit of $30-$40 bil- 



'*U.S. Department of Interior, Heritage, Conservation, and 

 Recreation Service. Federal estate outdoor recreation participa- 

 tion survey. (In process). 



71 



