Wildlife tourism ranges from local birding and wildlife watching to refuge visits and commercial whale-watching trips. The available figures show a large U.S. participation base, substantial spending on travel and equipment, and measurable economic effects across destinations.
Table of contents
- Wildlife watching participation
- Where wildlife watchers spend
- Economic impact of wildlife watching
- Birding participation and spending
- National wildlife refuge visitation
- Whale-watching destination economics
Wildlife watching participation
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2022 Economic Contributions of Wildlife Watching reported that 148.3 million people in the United States participated in wildlife watching in 2022. That broad total included both watching around the home and watching farther away. A total of 146.5 million people watched wildlife around the home, while 73.3 million took wildlife-watching trips of at least one mile from home.
The categories overlap. The same report counted 71.6 million people who did both around-the-home and away-from-home wildlife watching in 2022. This distinction matters for tourism: the away-from-home figure describes travel-related participation, while the larger total also includes people observing wildlife in their local surroundings.
The activity is therefore both everyday and travel-based. Wildlife watching can involve a nearby observation opportunity, a day trip, or a longer journey that requires transport, lodging, guides, and equipment. The 2022 figures capture that full range rather than treating tourism as a single type of trip.
Where wildlife watchers spend
Wildlife watchers made $250.2 billion in total direct expenditures in 2022, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2022 Economic Contributions of Wildlife Watching. Trip-related spending accounted for $42.1 billion. The remaining reported expenditure categories included equipment, special equipment, auxiliary equipment, and other items such as land leasing, memberships, plantings, and online subscriptions.
The main trip-related categories were:
| Trip-related category | 2022 spending |
|---|---|
| Lodging | $12.12 billion |
| Food and drinks | $7.94 billion |
| Private transportation | $7.52 billion |
| Airfare | $5.25 billion |
| Public transportation | $2.30 billion |
| Heating and cooking fuel | $1.50 billion |
| Equipment rental | $1.44 billion |
| Guide, pack-trip, and package fees | $1.43 billion |
| Public land-use fees | $994.7 million |
| Private land-use fees | $789.0 million |
| Boating costs | $774.1 million |
Lodging was the largest individually reported trip expense at $12.12 billion. Food and drinks represented $7.94 billion, followed by private transportation at $7.52 billion and airfare at $5.25 billion. These figures describe U.S. wildlife-watching spending in 2022 and should not be read as a global tourism estimate.
Equipment was another major part of the wildlife-watching economy. Wildlife-watching equipment spending totaled $24.6 billion in 2022. Cameras, video cameras, special lenses, and other photographic equipment accounted for $7.35 billion. Commercially prepared and packaged wild bird food accounted for $4.19 billion, while day packs, carrying cases, and special clothing accounted for $3.61 billion.
Other reported equipment categories included $2.80 billion for binoculars and spotting scopes, $2.23 billion for feed for other wildlife, $1.65 billion for nest boxes, bird houses, feeders, and baths, $1.60 billion for other bulk foods used to feed wild birds, and $1.20 billion for other wildlife-watching equipment.
The report also identified $8.91 billion in auxiliary equipment spending. Within that category, other camping equipment accounted for $4.48 billion, frame packs and backpacking equipment for $1.70 billion, other items such as blinds or GPS devices for $1.82 billion, and nature journals and measurement tools such as magnifying lenses for $906.8 million.
Special equipment spending totaled $85.1 billion. Other items, including land leasing and ownership, memberships, plantings, and online subscriptions, totaled $89.5 billion. These broad categories show that wildlife watching generates spending beyond the immediate cost of reaching a viewing site.
Economic impact of wildlife watching
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2022 Economic Contributions of Wildlife Watching estimated that wildlife-watching expenditures generated 2,742,010 jobs in 2022. The same analysis reported $168.6 billion in labor income, $298.8 billion in value added, and $590.3 billion in total output.
Wildlife watching also generated $18.1 billion in state tax revenue and $42.0 billion in federal tax revenue in 2022. These are economic-contribution measures associated with the reported expenditure activity; they are not a count of tourism receipts alone.
For readers comparing destinations, the distinction between direct spending and wider impact is important. Direct expenditures describe purchases by wildlife watchers. Labor income, value added, output, jobs, and tax revenue describe broader economic effects associated with that spending. They should not be added together as if they were interchangeable totals.
Birding participation and spending
Birding is one of the largest measurable parts of wildlife tourism. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation reported that 96.3 million people observed birds around the home and on trips in 2022. Of those participants, 91.1 million observed wild birds around the home and 42.6 million took trips away from home to observe wild birds.
Birders averaged 78 days of birding in 2022. Around-the-home birders averaged 67 days, while away-from-home birders averaged 34 days. These measures are activity-day averages, not counts of unique trips or nights away from home.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2022 Birding in the United States report estimated $14.49 billion in trip-related expenses and $93.10 billion in equipment and land spending in 2022. Total birding expenditures were reported at $107.6 billion.
| Birding measure | 2022 figure |
|---|---|
| People observing birds at home and on trips | 96.3 million |
| People observing wild birds around the home | 91.1 million |
| People taking away-from-home birding trips | 42.6 million |
| Average birding days per bird participant | 78 days |
| Trip-related expenses | $14.49 billion |
| Equipment and land spending | $93.10 billion |
| Total birding expenditures | $107.6 billion |
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Birdwatching in America reported that birding supported 1.4 million jobs in 2022. It also reported $90.2 billion in labor income and $279 billion in total economic output. The different report titles and rounded values should be retained as published rather than combined into a new estimate.
National wildlife refuge visitation
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Visitor Survey found that wildlife observation was reported by 59% of national wildlife refuge visitors during the prior 12 months. Hiking and walking were reported by 56%, bird watching by 46%, photography by 39%, fishing by 23%, and hunting by 9%.
These participation figures describe visitor activities during the prior 12 months, not the percentage of all U.S. residents who participate in each activity. Wildlife observation was the most frequently reported activity in this set, followed by hiking and walking.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Visitor Survey press release described a system containing 573 national wildlife refuges and 38 wetland management districts. It also reported that more than 69 million Americans visit national wildlife refuges every year. The refuge system supports regional economies to the tune of $3.2 billion per year and supports more than 41,000 jobs per year.
The annual wording for refuge visitation and economic support is different from the 2022 expenditure-year wording used in the national wildlife-watching estimates. The measures therefore provide context about the refuge network and its recurring scale, but they are not a replacement for a single-year tourism census.
Whale-watching destination economics
Commercial whale watching provides destination-level examples of how wildlife tourism can affect local economies. The NOAA Stellwagen Bank whale watching report reported $692.3 million in output from total trip spending for whale watching in Stellwagen Bank. That activity generated $394.0 million in value added, $257.9 million in labor income, and supported 5,318.8 jobs.
The same report identified a local 14-county economy. Whale watching contributed $182.1 million in output, $107.3 million in value added, and $76.1 million in labor income to that local economy. It supported 1,413.3 local jobs. The total-trip and local-economy figures refer to different geographic scopes and should be kept separate.
Historical Hawaii figures illustrate another destination model. The NOAA Hawaii whale watching report reported that 52 vessels offered whale-watching trips during the 1999 season. Those vessels ran an average of 87 trips each day and carried about 3,100 passengers whale watching per day. The season had nearly 370,000 whale watchers.
For Hawaii in 1999, direct revenues attributable to whale watching were $11 million to $16 million, while the total economic impact was $19 million to $27 million. Commercial whale watching supported the equivalent of 280 to 390 full-time jobs. These are historical estimates for the 1999 whale season, not current Hawaii tourism figures.
The same NOAA report placed Hawaii’s broader ocean tour boat industry at approximately $132 million in direct revenues in 1999, with a total economic impact of $225 million and approximately 3,200 jobs. That broader industry measure includes more than whale watching, so it should not be treated as a whale-watching total.