In Iowa, tourists can catch boat rides on Lake Okoboji from Arnolds Park, one of the area’s busiest shopping and dining spots.
“The outdoor recreation industry is built by small businesses and entrepreneurs,” she said. “Now because the outdoor recreation industry is driven by small businesses, it is a foundational part of many rural communities and is critical to their economic well-being.” U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Joe Manchin III, a West Virginia Democrat, and ranking member John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican, re-introduced America’s Outdoor Recreation Act in March.
“These efforts will result in more waterfowl and more wildlife, and stimulate greater economic activity in our tourism industry,” Fox said. “They will also make our air and water cleaner, recharge precious groundwater systems and fortify our communities against the threats of extreme weather.”For the first few years of running his business, he grappled with anxieties about failure and “trying to make this whole thing work.
Many of the nearby lodging properties are run by small businesses, Peters said. Small businesses in Okoboji also offer boat sales and rentals, sell fishing gear and bait, serve as guides and run restaurants. “Wildfires, smoke or even the threat of wildfire closures can leave small businesses with no insight into when we will be open or when infrastructure will be rebuilt,” Wahl Turner said.Peters said inflation is another area of concern for Okoboji small businesses, which face “rising input costs.” Visitors are less likely to vacation with lower disposable incomes, she said.