According to Recreation Management's State of the Industry Report, for the past five years, more than three-quarters of respondents from parks have indicated that they currently have restroom structures among their facilities. Despite that fact, restroom structures have been one of the most commonly planned additions for parks over this same time period—a trend that continued in 2021 despite the budget and planning challenges presented by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Overall, there was a decrease of 14.3% from 2020 to 2021 in the number of respondents who said they had plans to add features at their facilities. Parks saw a smaller, 12.8% decrease and were the most likely of all respondents to report that they were planning to add features at their facilities. Some 46.8% of parks were planning to add features at their facilities in 2021, down from 53.7% in 2020, but still much higher than the 37.1% of all respondents who said they have such plans.
When it comes to restroom structures, 47.6% of all 2021 Industry Report respondents said they currently include them among their facilities. This compares with 78.5% of park respondents.
Looking forward, 11.3% of all respondents in 2021 who had plans to make additions at their facilities said they were planning to add restroom structures, down from a high of 16.1% in 2021. However, parks saw a much slighter decrease in their plans for restroom structures. Some 16.6% of park respondents who will be adding features at their facilities said they would be adding restroom structures, down from 20.9% in 2020.
Did You Know…?
Nearly 60% of Americans said they use a public restroom one to five times a week.
Source: "10th Annual Healthy Handwashing Survey" from Bradley Corp.
Related Content from RECREATION MANAGEMENT
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FREE Webinar: Addressing Park Restroom Needs in 2021 & Beyond
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A park or site without a restroom can't keep visitors around for very long, but finding the right spot and the right restroom to meet your needs can be complex. We take a look at restroom structure options, from vault restrooms to flush facilities, along with how to keep them clean and as inviting as possible.
For more information, visit https://recmanagement.com/feature/202010FE03.