Environment

By the numbers: B.C.’s $17-billion outdoor recreation economy

You may think of enjoying the great outdoors this summer as priceless, but it’s actually an ever-bigger business. Here we look at some statistics around outdoor recreation in B.C.

By Michael McCullough /

B.C.’s outdoor recreation sector took in $17 billion in revenue and paid $3.2 billion in wages and salaries to its workers in 2023. It added $4.8 billion in value to the province’s economy, amounting to 1.5 percent of total GDP.

Taxes generated by the outdoor recreation sector, 2023.

79 percent of British Columbians took part in outdoor activities in the summer of 2022.

The most commonly cited outdoor activity types were:

  • Beach/nature
  • Hiking/climbing/caving/equestrian
  • Swimming/water sports
  • Camping/RVing
  • Wildlife viewing/photography

Day-trip travellers spent an average of $417 per day in the province.

For every dollar they spend on their core outdoor activity, participants spend $1.50 on transportation, accommodation, food and local shopping.

83,900 people in B.C. are directly employed in the outdoor recreation industry. Another 48,700 owe their livelihoods to adventure tourism.

There are 1,400 outdoor recreation and adventure tourism businesses listed on HelloBC.com.

The top three outdoor recreation business types in B.C.

Sources: Government of B.C., Destination B.C., HelloBC.com

Michael McCullough

Michael McCullough

Michael is a financial journalist based in the Cowichan Valley. He's a former managing editor of Canadian Business and editorial director of Canada Wide Media, BCBusiness's publisher. In 2024, he co-authored Personal Finance for Canadians for Dummies, 7th Edition (Wiley, 2024).