The Outdoor Industry Association released a study in 2017, The Outdoor Recreation Economy, which found that bicycling participants spend $83 billion on 'trip-related' sales (bicycle tourism), and generate $97 billion in retail spending. Bicycle recreation spending also contributes to the creation of 848,000 jobs.
Additionally, the Bureau of Economic Analysis included outdoor recreation in its calculations of the U.S. GDP for the first time in 2018. They estimate the economic output of outdoor recreation to be $734 billion, surpassing industries such as agriculture, petroleum and coal, and computer and electronic products (Outdoor Recreation Roundtable). The BEA estimates bicycling contributes $96 billion in annual retail sales.
2012: Outdoor Recreation Economy Report shows that bicycling participants spend $71 billion per year on "trip related sales," which is the category that best encompasses bicycle tourism. Overall spending for bicycling participants, which includes direct and indirect economic impacts, totals $198.7 billion, the second highest spending for any outdoor activity.