Joshua Tree National Park = Visitors, Money, And Jobs For Local Communities

A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that in 2010, 1,434,976 visitors spent $58,798,000 in Joshua Tree National Park and in communities near the park. That spending supported 804 jobs in the local area.

"The people and the business owners in communities near national parks have always known their economic value," Superintendent Mark Butler said. "Joshua Tree National Park is clean, green fuel for the engine that drives our local economy."

Most of the economic activity is related to lodging, 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 and nearby communities and are included in an annual, peer-reviewed, visitor spending analysis conducted by Dr. Daniel Stynes of Michigan State University for the National Park Service.

Across the U.S, visitor spending added $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 visit http://www.nature.nps.gov/socialscience/products.cfm#MGM and click on 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 information on how the NPS is working in California, go to http://www.nps.gov/california.