Twentynine Palms, CA- Joshua Tree National Park– A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 2,505,286 visitors to Joshua Tree National Park in 2016 spent $123,304,500 in communities near the park. That spending supported 1,701 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $164,529,900.
“Joshua Tree welcomes visitors from across the country and around the world,” said Superintendent David Smith, “We are delighted to share the story of this place and the experiences it provides. We also feature the park as a way to introduce our visitors to this part of the country and all that it offers. National park tourism is a significant driver in the national economy, returning $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service, and it’s a big factor in our local economy as well. We appreciate the partnership and support of our neighbors and are glad to be able to give back by helping to sustain local communities.”
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2016’s record visitation of 331 million visitors at America’s 417 National Park Service sites contributed $34.9 billion to the U.S. economy in 2016 – a $2.9 billion increase from 2015. The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas of the U.S. Geological Survey and Lynne Koontz of the National Park Service. The report shows visitor spending in 2016 supported 318,000 jobs, provided $12.0 billion in labor income, $19.9 billion in value added, and $34.9 billion in economic output to the U.S. economy. The lodging sector provided the highest direct contributions with $5.7 billion in economic output to local gateway economies and 56,000 jobs. The restaurants and bars sector provided the next greatest direct contributions with $3.7 billion in economic output to local gateway economies and 71,000 jobs.
According to the 2016 report, most park visitor spending was for lodging (31.2 percent) followed by food and beverages (27.2 percent), gas and oil (11.7 percent), admissions and fees (10.2 percent) and souvenirs and other expenses (9.7 percent).
Source: NPS
Kudos for putting this together. This report should be sent to your president to show the economic justification for keeping national parks free of mining or any other activity that negatively impacts on the natural resource and would detract from visitors like me visiting Joshua Tree. I have just returned to Canada after two weeks trekking through this desert. This year I saw more visitors than ever before – so I am sure the financial impact will be even larger.