HITTING THE SAND DUNES
Sports industry thrives as pandemic drives visitors outside
WHILE THE COVID-19 pandemic has many businesses struggling to stay afloat, the outdoors sports industry is thriving, with off-road dealers unable to keep up with the demand and gear and supplies flying off the shelves.
In a time of social distancing and with most indoor activities canceled, a whole new community has discovered the vast outdoor playgrounds readily available in Yuma’s backyard.
The vast Imperial Sand Dunes, also known as Glamis Dunes, is one of the largest recreational areas ideal for off-roading and camping. The dunes, located west of Yuma off Interstate 8, are famous for their appearances in movies like Star Wars, The Scorpion King, Lawrence of Arabia, and others.
With miles and miles of striking views, the dunes attract more than one million visitors seeking adventure each year, according to Yuma spokesman Dave Nash. Visitors on average travel more than 300 miles to get there.
Local officials can’t say exactly how much money visitors to the sand dunes spend in Yuma or Yuma County or how much tax revenue can be attributed to them.
“I don’t know how we would find a measurement we could accurately attribute to dunes activity. We don’t, for example, ask people when they’re refueling whether they’ve been to the dunes or not,” Nash said.
“I don’t really have any economic figures for the sand dunes specifically,” said Linda Morgan, executive director of Visit Yuma.
However, they do agree that those visitors do contribute significantly to the local economy. “Yuma’s proximity puts us in prime position to attract the bulk of those visitors when they come in for refueling or supplies, particularly since our fuel prices tend to be consistently lower than neighboring California locations,” Nash said.
“We will continue to do our part to offer more amenities and create a business-friendly environment so that hopefully more of those visitors will find reasons to spend more time in Yuma,” he added.
Gonzalo “Gonzo” Zaragoza, a lifelong outdoors enthusiast, frequently visits the sand dunes. He has lived in Yuma all his life and started going as an infant. He now belongs to a group of off-roaders who plan camping trips to the sand dunes and other areas. They take their off-road vehicles in their toy haulers and RVs with their families and spend the weekend.
Zaragoza explained why he and his friends enjoy visiting the sand dunes. “It’s fun and exciting. It lets us get out of
town and away from all the busyness that’s out there. And we love camping, it lets us relax. Cellphones hardly work out there, no one’s on their tablets. The kids are doing marshmallows or riding the little tracks that we made them,” he said.
With his kids now grown, he and wife Carrie now take their two grandkids with them. Audrina is 7, and Ashton is 2½. “They love to go there. They love it. They have their own helmets, they have their own gear,” Zaragoza said. When they zip around the sand in their Polaris RZR four-seater, Zaragoza and Carrie sit in the front and the grandkids ride in the back. With the COVID pandemic, they have been going out to the sand dunes more often. “Absolutely, every chance we get. Instead of planning trips to San Diego, we plan trips to Martinez Lake, the sand dunes, Glamis, because everyone keeps their distance. You’re outside in the desert. When riding, we wear masks anyways. It makes it a little more convenient,” he said.
Zaragoza sees firsthand how sand dune visitors and other outdoor enthusiasts contribute to the economy. He noted that when they go buy dune permits at the stores that sell all-terrain and utility-terrain vehicles, they also buy parts, accessories, tires, etc.
“If you’re ever on the freeway, off of Fortuna (Road), our stores like Chevron, you can’t even get in line to get gas. They’re full of toy haulers,” Zaragoza said. “Even the minimarts near the freeway. The same thing with Fry’s. People are buying stuff to cook. They go to Walmart to buy gas and propane, sleeping bags, camping chairs, tents, warm clothes for the desert, like gloves and beanies.”
Twice RV vendors have offered to buy his toy hauler right on the spot simply because they can’t keep up with the demand, he added.
Yuma’s proximity puts us in prime
position to attract the bulk of those visitors when they come
in for refueling or supplies, particularly since our fuel prices tend to be consistently lower than neighboring California locations.”
– Dave Nash
Liberty Motorsports, a Yuma dealer located at 1999 S. Arizona Ave., has also had a hard time keeping up with the demand for powersports vehicles.
‘This year has been extraordinary,” said Crystal Cobos, office manager of Liberty Motorsports. “We have a whole new community of riders out there now. Anything that comes in has already been sold.
“In a hard time, it’s a good blessing. We do always remember everybody that supports us and our customers. It’s been tough times for everybody, but we’ve been very blessed to be able to experience this, for sure,” Cobos added.
When the pandemic first hit, the Liberty team feared what it would mean for their business. “At first, the pandemic started, and it was a little scary. We were kind of holding our breath to see what would happen,” Brett Hirth, sales manager, said. “But then what happened was kind of unbelievable.”
Liberty Motorsports has experienced a “significant increase in business this year,” he added.
As a matter of fact, the last eight months have all been record-setting. The whole year has been record-setting. The best in the history of its 36-year business.
“You’ve got your regular people that are used to going out to dinner, movies, bars and this kind of stuff. Well, now they can’t do that and they’re cooped up at home. They just want to get out and have fun. They really want to get outside and recreate,” Hirth said.
Their sales of off-road vehicles, mainly side-by-sides, “have just grown tremendously. It allows them to have fun with their families,” he added.
It’s a trend seen nationwide in the powersports industry. All the dealers have a shortage of inventory. And with the demand higher, there is more volume and the profit margins are better than normal. Dealers are bringing in more money and not discounting like they used to.
“It really comes down to, with all the major shutdowns and
stuff like that, people just want to get out and have some fun,” Hirth noted. The top two best-selling brands are Polaris and Can Am side-by-sides, but anything with four seats has been selling out because it allows families to ride together.
Liberty’s parts and services department is also doing better, with about an increase of 40% in business.
The dealer also sells permits for the sand dunes. “We’ve sold more than double the sand dunes parking permits at this time of the year than last year,” Hirth said.
One of the shops where sand dunes visitors can buy permits is Essary Powersports, a repair shop located at 2654 E. 16th St. “This
year we have sold three or four times more dune passes so far this season than the entire season last year,” said Lisa Essary, who co- owns the shop with husband Joey.
“That goes to show how many more people are headed out that way, and we get people from all over the place, from all over the state of Arizona, people driving through from east Phoenix, a lot of people from the California side. They’re coming into town, buying passes and checking out local shops,” she said.
Essary Powersports has been in business for six years and has seen a steady increase each year, but this year the shop has seen a significant spike in business.
“It’s absolutely remarkable. It truly is,” Essary said. “We have just increased significantly, in foot traffic, in service work, in parts sales, and I don’t want to relate it to COVID, but honestly I feel it’s directly related to COVID. “Unfortunately, a lot of businesses have seen a lot of negative effects due to COVID, but the powersports industry has seen the opposite effect. I feel because it’s an outdoors industry, and a lot of people are trying to get outdoors so they’re not confined to their home,” Essary said, adding,
“Sometimes it’s a lot more work than we know what to do with, but I guess that’s a good problem.”
Essary explained that when COVID-19 first hit, “we noticed a lull in business in a time of year when we don’t usually have that kind of slow period, but it didn’t last long. This past summer has been one of the busiest summers we’ve ever had.”
The shop works on watercraft and outdoor vehicles, like quads, motorcycles, etc. They do service maintenance, rebuilds, extended warranty work and insurance jobs.
“A lot of our work has been on the service side of things. People are servicing their vehicles so they can go out and play,” she noted.
Essary Powersports has also sold a “ton of accessories,” like stereo systems, tires and wheels.
Lisa Essary has noticed the increase in families who are enjoying the outdoors together. “Obviously, everybody’s kind on the cautious side with all the COVID stuff going on, but I truly feel this year we’ve seen a lot more families come together and family-oriented type sports. I’ve seen a lot more families come in to buy helmets, riding gear so they can do their outdoor activities with their side-by-sides and dirt bikes,” she noted.
“I feel like in this particular industry, it seemed like, I wouldn’t say dying out, but it seemed like it was more of an individual-based industry, but now that you’ve got the bigger side-by-sides that can seat families of four and five, I’ve seen a lot more families get involved in the industry,” Essary said.
Her own family has been among the many that have recently hit the Glamis sand dunes. Lisa and Joey
Essary and their two daughters, ages 8 and 10, spent the Thanksgiving holiday together at the sand dunes. They rode in the family’s Can-Am side-by-side.
Their daughters, she noted, “love it.” They both grew up riding dirt bikes in the desert and trails. “This is the life they’ve known since Day 1.”
Gonzalo Zaragoza, the outdoors enthusiast, shared useful tips for sand dunes visitors. “You have to wear a helmet, and every vehicle that is riding in the dirt has to have an identification marker or flags.” The identification marker is either a lit tall pole or a pole with a flag at the top.
“When you’re in the dunes, you can’t really see people coming from the other side of a dune. The first thing you see is the flag. People in smaller vehicles need to be identified, It’s just to be able to see each other better,” Zaragoza said.
He also shared important rules for visitors. “First, be aware they need a permit to be there,” he said.
Permits are required from Oct. 1 through April 15 each year. Permits are $35 per week in advance and $50 per week if purchased onsite. Season permits are $150. To order permits online, go to https://isdpermits.net/. Online permits typically take 7-10 business days to arrive.
Permit can also be bought on the way to the dunes at retail locations on most routes to the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area.
“Second, with fires, you have to be really careful. You can’t just make a fire. You have to read up how to make a fire and how to extinguish to be within the regulations,” Zaragoza said.
Third, “take plenty of water because the desert is very arid. You don’t realize it, but it dehydrates you really bad, even in the winter time.”
Finally, Zaragoza added, “keep it clean. It’s always a battle. People leave trash, beer cans. Whatever you show up with, make sure you pack it up.”