Date: February 29, 2012
A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that more than 4 million visitors in 2010 spent $354.7 million in Yosemite National Park and in communities near the park. That spending supported more than 4,600 jobs in the area.
"The people and business owners in gateway communities near national parks have always known their economic value," stated park superintendent Don Neubacher. "Yosemite National Park is a huge contributing factor that drives the economies in the greater Yosemite region."
Most of the spending/jobs are 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., local visitor spending added a total of $31 billion to the national economy and supported more than 258,000 jobs, and increase of $689 million and 11,5000 jobs over 2009.
To download the report, visit https://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 on how the NPS is working within California, go to www.nps.gov/california
