Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The top outdoor recreation adventure activity in the United States is overnight vacation camping, with
48.6 million participants. This family is enjoying a Wisconsin campground in a tent trailer.
Photocourtesy
ofWisconsinDepartmentofTourism.
Companies manufacturing recreation products tend to be large. For example, the manufacturing of
new RVs is a $14 billion-per-year industry, according to the Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association
(see Chapter 5).
The
(RVIA), located in Reston, Virginia, is a primary
source of shipment statistics, market research, and technical data. The association also supplies
campground directories and publications covering RV maintenance, trip preparation, and safety issues
(
www.rvia.org
).
In contrast to the large companies involved in manufacturing RVs, boats, pools, mountain bikes,
skis, and so on, the private service sector is made up primarily of small businesses, ranging from
campgrounds, to marinas, to wilderness guides. There is also the public sector, providing services
through the National Park Service, Forest Service, and state and local agencies.
Recreation Vehicle Industry Association
Parks
Both private and government enterprises operate various kinds of
parks
, including amusement parks.
National parks are often very important parts of a nation
s tourism. In some countries (such
as certain countries in Africa), national parks are the primary attractions. Typical are Kenya, Rwanda,
Uganda, Tanzania, Botswana, and South Africa.
'
s or state
'
National and State Parks
The U.S. National Park System is one of the country
is greatest tourist attractions, appealing to both
domestic and international visitors. U.S. National Parks host over 285 million visitors a year. A
recreation visit is the entry of one person for any part of a day on lands or waters administered by the
National Park Service
'
(NPS) for recreation purposes. The NPS administers 393 national parks, plus
hundreds of other recreation areas, preserves, natural
landmarks, battle
elds, historical sites,
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