Reconomics 3.0 report shows economic and social value of outdoor recreation

The Reconomics 3.0 report was commissioned by the members of the Sport and Recreation Alliance's Water Recreation and Outdoor Pursuits divisions (now our Outdoor Recreation division) and has been produced in partnership with Leeds Beckett University. 

his report builds on the groundbreaking Reconomics report, launched in 2014, as well as Reconomics Plus, which was launched in 2017. Over the previous eight years, there have been numerous changes to the sector, including greater demand for outdoor space, increasing costs and the impacts of climate change, that have necessitated an update to the previous reports.

We were delighted to be joined by a number of our members who played a crucial role in drawing together the report, and Baroness Hayman, Minister at the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs in addition to a host of Parliamentarians.

The headline findings from Reconomics 3.0 include:

• 34 million people use outdoor recreation as part of their blend of activities, including 1.9 million children(3.1 million more people than were participating 10 years ago).
• Outdoor recreation is increasingly diverse – on average, there has been 22% growth in participationacross ethnic minority groups, compared to 10 years ago.
• 1 million jobs are generated by outdoor recreation, with the total value to the UK economy sitting at £22 billion.
• Outdoor recreation has a huge social value, worth £46.8 billion, and produces savings to the NHS of over £5 billion.

The report also highlights a number of case studies that illustrate these findings in the real world, featuring several of the Alliance’s Outdoor Recreation Division.

You can view the summary of the Reconomics 3.0 report here, and the full report is available here.

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