Women Travelers and Participation in Outdoor Activities

By Connie Yingling



If you read any general-interest travel magazine, you would think that the only activities that women are interested in pursuing while traveling are shopping and spa treatments. Granted, shopping always appears at the top of every travel survey (and let's face it, what female doesn't love a great deal on a new pair of pumps or strappy sandals?), but women travelers certainly have their "wild side" as well.



Women Go Wild

A look at recent research confirms the assertion that women travelers flock to outdoor activities in sizeable numbers. For example, the U.S. Travel Association reports that "outdoor activities" ranks third in top activities for all domestic travelers, behind shopping and attending family/social events. The survey defines "outdoor activities" as visiting state and national parks, hiking, camping, biking, birding, canoeing, kayaking, fishing and hunting.

Surprisingly, the Adventure Travel Trade Association reports that 52% of adventure travelers are women - more than half. Adventure travel is broadly described as including physical, cultural and nature-based activities, so again, inclusive of camping, biking, birding, canoeing, kayaking, etc.

Looking at a narrower subset of outdoor travel research, the 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation (conducted every five years by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service [USFWS]) tells us that fully 38% of the U.S. population age 16 and older (or 87.5 million persons) participated in wildlife-related activities, defined as fishing, hunting and/or wildlife watching, and of that number, 45.1 million are women. Nationally by activity, 25% (or 7.6 million) females fished; 9% (or 1.2 million) females hunted; and 54% (or 36.3 million) women watched, fed or photographed wildlife.

In addition to the national perspective, this survey provides statistics on a state-by-state basis and also gives a breakdown between male and female participants, so we can quantify Maryland's female wildlife-related consumer, both resident and nonresident. Of the nearly 1.5 million persons participating in wildlife watching in Maryland, 48% are female, fully 21% of all Maryland anglers are female; however, the sample size for hunters was too small to report data reliably.

The USFWS study indicates there is crossover between all three activities; for example, many anglers also profess to bird watch while on the water. Further, although not detailed in this study, we can safely assume that some of the bird watchers out there are hiking, biking, canoeing or kayaking to get closer to natural habitats.



Outdoor Skills Training

So in comparing the statistics above, one could ask: "Why aren't more women active in fishing and hunting?" Research sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has shown that most do not participate in traditional outdoor activities not because of a lack of interest, but because of a lack of knowledge and skills - they simply did not have a family member or mentor to teach them about fishing, hunting or shooting sports. The foundation now sponsors a mentoring program called STEP OUTSIDE urging current sportsmen and women to introduce others to these traditional outdoor pursuits.

In Maryland, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) sponsors a program called "Becoming an Outdoor Woman" (BOW), a three-day seminar held in Garrett County each October for women interested in learning a new outdoor skill or polishing an existing one. Classes offered typically include photography, camp cooking, tree identification, fly-fishing, stream ecology, outdoor survival skills and turkey and deer hunting among others. (Visit www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/bow.asp for additional information and to request class registration materials.)

Throughout the year, DNR also holds "Beyond BOW" single-topic workshops such as kayaking, goose hunting, crabbing and outdoor cooking. Last year's kayaking event was held at Wye Island Natural Resources Management Area on the Eastern Shore, and the online photos show an enthusiastic group of participants. According to Patricia Allen, program coordinator for DNR's "Becoming an Outdoor Woman" program, "Our current BOW mailing list tops 2,800 interested women, and participation has grown over the years."



Local Activities Abound

Maryland is well-positioned to welcome these thousands of outdoor-minded female travelers. The Maryland Office of Tourism publishes Destination Maryland containing a 15-page "Maryland Outdoors" section. Readers are introduced to many outdoor activity opportunities including paddle sports, fishing and boating, hiking, biking, bird watching and nature observation, camping and cabins, and hunting and shooting sports. (To order a free copy, call 1-800-719-5900 or go to www.visitmaryland.org to request a Maryland travel kit.)

And, at the local level, Howard County Tourism and Howard County Recreation and Parks have published a "Wildlife Driving Tour" brochure targeted to the wildlife-watcher set. This helpful brochure lists the dominant species to be found in each park in the county, as well as the best season to visit. This brochure is "spot-on" with the species list; at Meadowbrook Park, the red-tailed hawk frequently is seen watching over human activity from a perch high in the trees - or more often the light post next to Exit One on Route 100.



Connie Yingling is the public relations coordinator for the Maryland Office of Tourism.