Nature Calls

With over 318 million recreational visits to US National Parks in 2018 alone, the number of verticalized marketplaces and platforms for outdoor experiences is reaching an inflection point. An analysis of the startup landscape emerging to serve America's growing love affair with the outdoors.

Expect to see a lot more #nature #sunrise #yogi Instagram posts in the coming years. The number of new, verticalized marketplaces and platforms facilitating outdoor experiences is reaching an inflection point. The state of outdoor travel In 2018, the US National Park Service received over 318 million recreational visits. With more than 400 sites, one of the best and most time-honored ways to see the U.S. is its robust system of national parks. However, of the 59 national parks in the U.S., only 19% of Americans have seen more than five. More than a quarter (26%) say they have never been to a national park. The majority (54%) say they have visited two or fewer. Why outdoors? When it comes to happiness with physical health and well-being, there is a 22 percentage point gap (61% to 39%) between travelers and homebodies. In the era of increasing concern over worker burnout, this finding is a notable takeaway for employees and employers looking for ways to improve well-being. In particular, travelers who commit to outdoor trips return 33% happier and more relaxed than their urban-traveling counterparts. Thesis New platforms will make outdoor experiences as easy to access and navigate as vacationing in a metropolitan area. Most millennials find setting up a hunting or fishing trip to be significantly more logistically challenging than flying to Chicago or NYC for a weekend to check out Eater’s top-rated avo-toast brunch spot. It’s not that urban experiences are more fun or relaxing than outdoor alternatives. It’s the tools that make it easy … Skyscanner for optimal flight prices, Airbnb for the stay, Lyft to navigate anywhere, Google Maps as the citadel of restaurant reviews, OpenTable to confirm. New outdoor-focused companies will compete on these two vectors — New Land (Re-Manifest Destiny) This isn’t simply about increasing the funnel for visitors to national parks, but creating new access points altogether by facilitating private landowners to set up their own parks.

By Madelyn Rutter at TechNexus Venture Collaborative