RecReport Research

We asked Industry Report respondents about their involvement in a variety of initiatives related to inclusion and outreach, conservation and wellness, and in every case, park respondents were leading the way. Some 93.9% of park respondents said they were involved in at least one initiative on the list.

In 2023, nearly eight out of 10 (78%) college and university respondents to the Industry Report survey said they planned to maintain their existing staff levels. Another 22% said they were planning to increase staff, and no college and university respondents were planning to reduce staff in 2023.

More than three-quarters (76.6%) of all aquatic respondents to the Industry Report survey said they currently provide learn-to-swim programs for children at their facilities. More than half (52.9%) said they currently include swim lessons for adults in their program lineup.

Some 41.5% of respondents in 2023 said they had plans to add more programming options to their facilities’ lineup over the next three years. This is up substantially from 2022, when 35.7% had such plans. The most commonly planned program additions were educational programs, mind-body balance programs like yoga, and teen programming.

Some audiences tend to be left out when it comes to learn-to-swim opportunities, with economic as well as racial disparities having a heavy impact on who does and does not learn to swim. The Aquatic Trends Report found that the number of respondents providing outreach programs to these audiences has fallen slightly.

We asked Industry Report respondents about their involvement in a variety of initiatives related to inclusion and outreach, conservation and wellness, and in every case, park respondents were the most likely to be rising to the challenge.

More than six in 10 (60.1%) park respondents to the Industry Report survey said that staffing issues were a top concern for their facility in 2023, and 55% said equipment and facility maintenance were a top concern.

More than half of respondents to the Industry Report survey in 2023 said they currently include fitness programs (55.3%) or group exercise programs (53.5%) at their facilities.