News Release
Arlan Fonseca
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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 2.5 million visitors to National Parks of Boston in 2022 spent $167.3 million in communities near the park. That spending supported 2,090 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $255.4 million.“Since 1916, the National Park Service has been entrusted with the care of our national parks. With the help of volunteers and partners, we safeguard these special places and share their stories with more than 300 million visitors every year. The impact of tourism to national parks is undeniable: bringing jobs and revenue to communities in every state in the country and making national parks an essential driver to the national economy,” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams.
“People come to National Parks of Boston to experience a revolutionary city. They explore the seeds of political revolution through the Freedom Trail as well as the ongoing social and environmental revolutions that span the landscape of Boston and its harbor,” said Superintendent Michael Creasey. “We recognize that this tourism is a critical driver to the local economy, bringing 2,090 jobs and $255.4 million in revenue to communities within 60 miles of the park.”
The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by economists at the National Park Service. The report shows $23.9 billion of direct spending by nearly 312 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported 378,400 jobs nationally; 314,600 of those jobs are found in these gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $50.3 billion.
As for the economics of visitor spending, the lodging sector had the highest direct effects, with $9 billion in economic output nationally. The restaurants sector was had the second greatest effects, with $4.6 billion in economic output nationally.
Report authors also produce an interactive tool that enables users to explore visitor spending, jobs, labor income, value added, and output effects by sector for national, state and local economies. Users can also view year-by-year trend data. The interactive tool and report are available at the NPS Social Science Program webpage: Visitor Spending Effects - Economic Contributions of National Park Visitor Spending - Social Science (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov). To learn more about national parks in Massachusetts and how the National Park Service works with Massachusetts communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to https://www.nps.gov/state/ma/index.htm.
About the National Parks of Boston
The National Parks of Boston is a collection of three National Park Service sites – Boston National Historical Park, Boston African American National Historic Site, and Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park. Established by individual legislation and for designated purposes, the three units have come together under a unified organizational umbrella to collaborate in ways that celebrate our cultural heritage, reconnect people to history and nature, and provide outdoor recreation opportunities on land and on the water. For more information on the National Parks of Boston, visit: www.nps.gov/bost, www.nps.gov/boaf, and www.bostonharborislands.org.
Last updated: August 31, 2023