In 2021, Utah’s outdoor recreation industry contributed $6.1 billion to the state’s economy. In 2022, the industry contributed $8.1 billion, a $2 billion increase. The industry also created over 71,000 jobs.
Jason Curry is the director of the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation within the Division of Natural Resources. He said those jobs range from ski resort lift operators to outdoor product retailers to backcountry guides.
“There's really not much that you can't find here," Curry said. "I always say, you know, we don't have a whole lot of surfing and beach activities. But outside of that, Utah has got pretty much everything.”
He said Utah is particularly attractive to outdoor businesses because their employees want to work where they can also play. Utah has a large variety of outdoor recreation options that are easily accessible.
“If you work somewhere here along the Wasatch Front, for example, you can finish your day's work, maybe even on a lunch, and go and participate in any number of different recreational opportunities,” Curry said.
And there are a lot of recreational opportunities thanks to Utah’s unique geography. Curry said different sports can thrive here, like slacklining. Slackliners stretch a flat, one- to two-inch-wide nylon or polyester rope to two anchor points and balance on it.
Curry said slacklining used to be obscure but has now become very popular in the state, with world-renowned slacklining spots in Moab.
“Things that are off the beaten path are certainly available here," he said. "If you have some strange outdoor recreation hobby on your mind, Utah really is the place to come and try to make a go of it.”
The Department of Outdoor Recreation was created in 2022 and is the first of its kind in the nation.
