Wednesday Wisdom: Re-Opening Recreation
As the public health sector responds to the COVID-19 crisis, public park agencies are called to respond. The purpose of the Wednesday Blog is simple: to provide you with strategies that assist you, your agency and your partners with a mutually beneficial way forward.
Re-Opening: Considering Visitor Sentiment in developing your Operating Strategies
Across the country, governors are evaluating re-opening parts of their states’ economies. In some states, park areas have been able to remain open under limited operational capacity. While re-openings will be dependent on approval of local public health officials, understanding Visitor Sentiment, may assist public agency’s in their prioritization of re-openings. CHMGS looked at Google searches for different park types and by recreation asset classes. What we found was interesting and yet, in some ways, not too surprising.
1. Close to Home: Larger numbers of Google searches for “state parks” vs. “national parks” indicate a continued interest in close-to-home travel vs. visits to iconic national parks. Searches for state parks exhibited an immediate spike post Covid-19 state park closures, but in the most recent week they have spiked again and the trend line is upward. The recent trend identifies increased interest in getting outside into backyard public lands. See the graph below for the comparison.
2. Recreational Assets: What recreational activities are visitors eager to participate in? By evaluating Google searches, you can gain insight into the types of recreational assets visitors are seeking out, even if the facilities are not yet open. This may help to guide prioritization of opening facilities. In the graph below, we have grouped similar recreational asset classes together to isolate those exhibiting the highest degree of interest. We evaluated overnight, water recreation and trail use. For overnight use, camping is tracking higher than cabins. Additionally, in the water recreation area, folks are moving from solitary activities (e.g., fishing) to more communal activities that will allow for social distancing (e.g., immediate family outing on a boat, located in a marina). Trail use continues to be of increasing interest.
3. General Visitor Sentiment: Many industry associations and non-profits are surveying their members regarding their current operations and future recreation plans. An example of this is the work that Leave No Trace is doing with the Penn State Recreation, Park and Tourism Management to track Visitor Sentiment. Key findings are not surprising but confirm: people are seeking close-to-home recreational opportunities that are solitary in nature. NRPA is tracking local park and recreation agencies recreation facility openings. This data may provide a clue to how state and federal parks want to consider opening up their facilities.
Anecdotes are just that, use data to make good decisions!
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