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Contact: Public Affairs Office, 307.739.3393
MOOSE, WY - A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that nearly 2.7 million visitors spent over $424 million in 2010 at Grand Teton National Park and gateway communities located within 60 miles of the park. That spending, in turn, supported more than 6,300 jobs in northwestern Wyoming communities such as Jackson, Teton Village and Dubois. "Elected officials, local business owners, regional chambers of commerce and Wyoming Travel & Tourism directors have long recognized the economic value of national parks located within Wyoming," said Grand Teton National Park Superintendent Mary Gibson Scott. "Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Devils Tower and other national park areas protect our Nation's treasures and provide valuable experiences and enjoyment for visitors from the United States and around the world. National parks also drive local and state economies in very tangible ways, and generate jobs that keep Americans employed," added Superintendent Scott. Most of the spending/jobs are related to lodging, and food and beverage service (52 percent) followed by other retail (29 percent), entertainment/amusements (10 percent), gas and local transportation (7 percent) and groceries (2 percent). The figures are based on $12 billion of direct spending by 281 million visitors in 394 national parks (total number in 2010) and nearby communities. The figures are included in an annual, peer-reviewed, visitor spending analysis conducted by Dr. Daniel Stynes of Michigan State University for the NPS. Across America, local visitor spending added a total of $31 billion to the national economy and supported more than 258,000 jobs, an increase of $689 million and 11,500 jobs over 2009. To download the report, go to https://www.nature.nps.gov/socialscience/products.cfm#MGM and click Economic Benefits to Local Communities from National Park Visitation and Payroll, 2010. The report includes information for visitor spending at individual parks and by state. For more on how the NPS positively impacts Wyoming, go to https://www.nps.gov/wyoming. |
Last updated: February 24, 2015