The OIA mission is to increase the number of people getting into the outdoors

The outdoor industry must encourage more people to get off their sofas and get into Britain’s countryside.

That was the message from the gathering of the trade body for businesses involved in the great outdoors: from retailers to educators; manufacturers to camping organisations.

The Outdoor Industries Association conference brought together major players in the sector, including some of the best know High Street names such as Cotswold Outdoors, Ellis Brigham and Snow + Rock; top brands Berghaus, The North Face, Hi-Tec, Mountain Equipment and Lowe Alpine.

But the association also represents membership organisations such as the British Mountaineering Council, the Camping and Caravanning Club and activity providers Glenmore Lodge and HF Holidays.

Chief executive Louise Ramsay explained the industry had weathered the recession as best it could. “The recession has helped some; hurt others,” she said.

Ms Ramsay said more people were deciding against foreign holidays and heading for the British countryside.

“In terms of the staycation the numbers are there to back it up. In terms of people holidaying more here – just ask the Camping and Caravanning Club; their numbers have gone up in spades, as with HF Holidays – but in terms of the impact of rising costs, manufacturing, interest rates, reduced consumer spend, it’s given with one hand and taken away with the other.

Louise Ramsay: more heading for the British countryside

“But it’s definitely insulated the outdoor industry so it hasn’t suffered, by any measure, by as much.

“All it takes is something we witnessed last winter, the massive snowfall and there’s major recovery in a lot of areas for a lot of businesses and the outdoor industry that other sectors and other injuries didn’t manage to enjoy.”

The OIA has had a rocky last few years. The Ratho-, Edinburgh, based organisation came close to folding four years ago but has been reborn with a clutch of ideas to help the industry grow.

“We’ve had a very long turnaround. 2007 was when the show stopped. The future viability was called into question for the OIA and we then had the task of turning it around. Really, 2009 was when it began again with a new strategy, new board, better governance, stronger communication,” Ms Ramsay told the conference.

She added there are major overlaps from the outdoors with other sections and the industry’s impact on health and wellbeing, employment and education are significant. Lancaster University research revealed there are 4,000 businesses involved, with 150,000 in employment, plus many more volunteering.

Expenditure by the public on the outdoors industry is £5bn annually, with more than £2bn from camping and caravanning trips alone.

But there are still many people to be tempted into the outdoors. The conference heard from Andy Robinson, chief executive of the Institute for Outdoor Learning. He brought along Adnan Zaman, a 24-year-old from Ashton-under-Lyne in Greater Manchester – an example of how people from Britain’s ethnic minorities can be encouraged to enjoy the country’s national parks.

Adnan Zaman listens as Andy Robinson addresses delegates

Disaffected and on the verge of taking the wrong path in life, the youngster found inspiration in a youth worker who was a keen outdoorsman and the young man now holds a Single Pitch Award for climbing and has trained for his Mountain Leader Award. He spends much of his time encouraging his Asian peers to enjoy the Peak District.

Mr Robinson stressed it was not about social engineering; the outdoor industry needs to give black and minority ethnic communities the chance to enjoy the British countryside. This is, he said, a very attractive market for the industry.

Mark Held, secretary general of the European Outdoor Group, representing some of the biggest outdoor brands in the world, outlined the group’s Eco Index which members can use to measure their improvement in how sustainably they are operating. Brand loyalty is improved by green labelling.

The OIA has also instigated the Industry Retail Training Programme. Louise Ramsay said: “It’s really important that we raise standards. It supports innovation and increases productivity. It attracts and assures customers; it demonstrates market leadership; it creates competitive advantage and it develops and maintains best practice.”

But the biggest push was for the OIA’s new website, planned to go live in April. The Active Guide aims to be the place to look for the public searching for new activities.

Nick Salloway of Different Digital, which put the site together, told the gathering: “Fundamentally, the Active Guide is about growing participation; it’s about encouraging people who are thinking about, or not even thinking about getting involved in the outdoors, to encourage people to get off the sofa, stop playing with their Playstation and take part in outdoor activities.

“Content is coming from the experts, people like yourselves who work in the sector. We want to be able to provide a level of expert guidance so when people are considering taking up the sport, this is a place they can come to find out how to go about doing that.

“We want to combine it with real-world user experiences so groups of beginners or groups who know a little bit about outdoor activities can help new users understand what they need to do to get started.

“We want to create an inspirational resource.”

Solihull MP Lorely Burt, left, with Outdoor Industries Association chief executive Louise Ramsay and chair Corry Taylor

Solihull Liberal Democrat MP Lorely Burt, in whose constituency the conference took place, agreed to represent the industry in the Commons. She said: “As an industry, you tick all the Government’s boxes: you’re a growth industry; you’re patriotic; you’re taking advantage of what we have here in the UK; the health benefits to people – just being out in fresh air, in the open, really contribute to a sense of wellbeing.

“These are very difficult economic times but every cloud has a silver lining and if there is one it’s a silver lining I think your industry in particular, can take advantage of.

“People who are re-examining their priorities and their finances think ‘How about a staycation; how about exploring what we’ve got in our own country’.

“I think lots of the benefits of a holiday here in the UK have been forgotten. I think the opportunities are absolutely great.”

How did Louise Ramsay see the industry in two years’ time? “In terms of the industry, it already sees some consolidation at some level, with the bigger retailers getting bigger and the smaller retailers getting smaller,” she said. “I think the industry is still growing and I think it still has an awful lot of opportunities.

“The Camping and Caravanning Club is seeing tremendous year-on-year growth and people are understanding the value of going outside on these family holidays and this translates into other activities whether they discover mountain biking on these holidays or hillwalking.”

Ms Ramsay, a keen ski-tourer and enthusiastic hillwalker, expounds the virtues of positive outdoor experiences. “I also go mountain biking and sea kayaking which I learnt through Glenmore Lodge and that’s an example of learning it through a really inspiring outdoor centre and that gave me the confidence of wanting to do more.

“If people who are new to the outdoors have really positive experiences and learning and going on a course – and it’s entry-level people too – then they can come away equipped and on the right path and buzzing from that and that’s where the positivity comes.”