New data puts the sector in the league of oil and gas extraction, tourism and film
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Along with kayaking and Nordic skiing, add economic statistics to the list of things that make Louise Pedersen most excited.
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The executive director of the Outdoor Recreation Council of B.C. said she’s thrilled by provincial figures, released for the first time on Thursday, that show outdoor recreation contributes $6.6 billion to B.C.’s gross domestic product each year, putting it in same league as oil and gas extraction, tourism, and movies.
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The findings come from a new statistical model that pulls data specific to outdoor recreation from across traditional industries. Developed by B.C. Stats with support from the provincial Environment and Jobs ministries, the dedicated spreadsheet will allow the province to track the value of the recreation economy over time, with updated results expected every year.
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The work flows from B.C.’s Look West economic strategy, announced in late 2025, which aims to deliver major projects, expand skills training, and boost key sectors to promote economic growth. This spring, the province formally recognized outdoor recreation as a sector in its own right with the release of B.C.’s first outdoor recreation strategy.
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For people who find themselves happiest birdwatching, climbing a mountain or roasting a marshmallow over a campfire, the distinction between a “sector in its own right” and “adventure tourism,” a sub-sector of the tourism sector where outdoor recreation was previously classified, probably isn’t significant.
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But for some, like Pedersen, it provides hope for improved backcountry infrastructure, access and funding, which have lagged in recent years.
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“A $6.6-billion outdoor recreation economy doesn’t exist without the trails, parks, recreation sites, waterways, huts, back roads and community infrastructure people rely on,” she said. “If outdoor recreation is this important to B.C.’s economy, we need to make sure we’re investing in the places and systems that support it.”
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Pedersen said the economic data could help the province better understand a sector that is place-based and can’t be traded or tariffed.
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“It is really useful to see how outdoor recreation can contribute to both the economy and our resilience,” she said.
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John Hawkings, executive lead with the Ministry of Environment and Parks, who has been heading up the province’s recreation strategy and the work to bring B.C.’s parks under the same ministry umbrella as recreation sites and trails, said he wasn’t surprised to by the economic data.
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He lives in Squamish and sees the impact of outdoor recreation spending on a “daily basis,” as well as on work trips to rural towns across the province.
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“We know that outdoor recreation is such a fundamental and valued part of life in B.C.,” he said. “But we previously haven’t been able to characterize it in … a reliable, standardized and robust way.”
