The Case for an Outdoors Pass: Data, Timing, Proven Results, and Free Promotional Resources

More people are interested in outdoor recreation 

The Outdoor Industry Association released their 2025 Outdoor Participation Trends Report, and it shows that interest in outdoor activities is on the rise. The outdoor recreation participant base grew 3%, and 58.6% of all Americans over the age of 6 are involved in outdoor activities.

By promoting your nature-based experiences, you’re sharing a message that is of interest to a large group. This is also a high-value audience, with participation in outdoor activities increasing 10.7% among households earning $100K+. 

So what type of activities are they participating in? The data showed that people were most interested in:

• Walking
• Hiking
• Fishing
• Camping
• Cycling
• Running

Each of those specific activities gained an average of 2.1 million participants in the last year. 

The study also showed that there was significant growth with younger and older generations gaining more interest in outdoor activities. 

• Youth (ages 6-12) saw a 5.6% increase
• Seniors (ages 65+) saw 7.4% increase 

An outdoors-focused pass is a great way to create a family-friendly experience that appeals to high-value visitors. 

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Why You Should Create an Outdoors-Focused Pass Right Now 

This is the perfect time to build a pass that promotes trails, parks, and waterfront assets, with upcoming outdoor observances offering strategic opportunities to launch a pass. Aligning your rollout with nationally recognized events can amplify reach without increasing budget.

Many of our partners have enjoyed instant success with their passes when they have launch parties. By creating a special event around the launch of your pass, and aligning it with one of the days listed below, you have additional opportunities for free resources and promotional opportunities.  

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• National Trails Day

The American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day is June 6, 2026. This could be the perfect timing to launch a pass that promotes your destination’s trails. They have a toolkit that includes verbiage for blog and social media posts that you can customize to include information about your pass. They also have put together a guide on how to put together an event for National Trails Day. If you register your event on their website for free, they will also promote it. Last year the National Trails Day initiative reached over 31 million people online and on social media. Since there’s no charge for the organization to promote your event, this is a cost-efficient way to get your destination’s outdoor assets in front of a quality audience. 

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• World Oceans Day

World Oceans Day will be observed on June 8, 2026, and this is a great opportunity for coastal destinations to create a pass that promotes your beaches and coastal areas. You could even kick off the launch of your pass with a beach cleanup. This gives you a positive built-in environmental initiative that allows your DMO to give back to the community. Beach.com will even promote it for free, and will also provide free t-shirts and supplies such as trash bags or buckets. Just register your event for free on their website. 

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• Park and Recreation Month

The National Recreation and Park Association celebrates Park and Recreation Month each July. This is another great time to strategically align the launch of an outdoor-focused pass. The association has created a toolkit that has a press release template, sample social media posts, and more. Just weave the messaging of your new pass into the provided materials, and you’ll have an easy start to your promotion of the pass.   

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3 Great Outdoor-Focused Passes We Love 

Need a little inspiration? Here are a few great examples of our partners that have created great passes promoting trails, parks, and beaches. 

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Dublin Parks Pass

Why we love it:  They’ve created a pass that has appeal to both locals and visitors, and they tied in a sponsor. Finding sponsors for a pass is a creative way to pay for your Bandwango license and help generate revenue. OhioHealth was a great fit for the Dublin Parks Pass and has retained their sponsorship of this pass since it began in 2022. Sara Blatnik is the former Marketing Director for Visit Dublin Ohio and she said, “Health and wellness, parks, and getting outdoors were a seamless fit, and something that they thought made sense for their brand and for their goals. To be able to provide that resource to the community on behalf of OhioHealth, was a perfect fit for them.”  

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Flagstaff Trails Passport 

Why we love it:  They have a variety of prizes, and make it enticing to participate in their campaign even if you’re just in town for a short period of time. A check in at just one trail will earn you a prize. However, those hitting the trails even more can accumulate points that can be redeemed for higher-value prizes. The DMO has brought a philanthropic angle to this pass as well that helps support the Flagstaff Trails Initiative, a local 501c3 non-profit group that is focused on the area’s trails. Discover Flagstaff will make a donation in your name if you earn at least 10 points. That gives passholders a deeper reason to check out more trails, and brings attention to a worthy cause. 

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The Sarasota Beach Pass

Why we love it:  Siesta Beach is one of the most well-known beaches in Florida, as it has received multiple awards that proclaim it as the best beach in the United States and one of the best in the world. While it is amazing, Sarasota County has more great beaches within their destination, too. The DMO created a pass that features all of the beaches in their area, and provides passholders with a description of each. This helps disperse visitors to the other beaches as well, and gives them a reason to explore more. Choosing the perfect prize for a gamified pass is important, and Visit Sarasota County has excelled on this, as they have included a prize that is made locally in their county. 

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Getting Started on a Destination Marketing Campaign Focused on Outdoor Recreation 

Outdoor demand is already here. The destinations that package and promote these experiences effectively will be the ones that capture it. If your destination has outdoor assets, we encourage you to spread the word about them. There are millions of people that are seeking ways to enjoy time outside, and it’s important to make sure your destination is included as one of their options. One easy way to get started is by creating a pass that showcases what you have to offer, and entices visitors to explore the nature-based activities in your community. 

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Building an outdoor-themed pass in Bandwango’s Experience Builder is very easy, and you can build passes in as little as a day. If you’re promoting outdoor assets such as trails, parks, or beaches, there won’t be any onboarding needed for local businesses. It’s really as simple as inputting the specific locations that you want to feature on your pass. The first step is to set up a free consultation with our team. We can then get you set up to start building your pass, and you can have your own outdoors pass quickly.