This Dominant Idaho Industry Actually Lost Money In 2020. How?

People have been visiting (and moving to) Idaho in droves for the past decade. So how is it possible that one of Idaho's most lucrative industries took an L in 2020?

Even with the pandemic in play, didn't it feel like Idaho was better off than most states during it all?

There's a lot of questions, and we've got a few answers.

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, revenue for outdoor recreation nationwide was down $77.6 billion in 2020. Which is a staggering 19% decline from 2019. The weirdest part? Idaho's numbers were better than most states!

Why? Matt Borud, marketing and innovation administrator for the Idaho Department of Commerce, claims that since Idaho didn't have strict lockdown rules like some neighboring states did, folks came to Idaho to scratch their travel itch.

Even more odd, even though outdoor revenue fell overall, activities such as fishing, camping, and bicycling all increased in popularity in Idaho in 2020. Ain't no pandemic going to keep us Idahoans from getting out and doing stuff. COVID-19 should've known this.

Borud is now hopeful that folks who spent time outdoors in Idaho during the pandemic will continue to do so for years to come, and bring with them the revenue Idaho needs to get back to normal:

I'm really optimistic that people who have gained exposure to outdoor activities via COVID (will continue it). Maybe it wasn't something they'd ever considered before. Maybe they would've gone to Disneyland, but now they're going on a rafting trip in Idaho.

At least there aren't (usually) long lines to go rafting!