News Release

Tourism to Booker T. Washington NM contributes $1.7 million to local economy

Date: September 26, 2025
Contact: Brian Miller, 434-665-6331

Hardy, Va— A new National Park Service report shows that 24,200 visitors to Booker T. Washington National Monument in 2024 spent $1.7 million in communities near the park. That spending supported the local area.

“People come to Booker T. Washington National Monument to learn about the life and legacy of one of America’s most influential educators and leaders,” said Superintendent Jim Bailey. “Their visits not only honor that legacy—they also support the people and small businesses of Franklin County. We’re proud that the park contributes $1.7 million in economic benefits that help strengthen our local community.”

The National Park Service report, 2024 National Park Visitor Spending Effects, finds that visitors spent $29 billion in communities near national parks. This spending provided $18.8 billion in labor income and $56.3 in economic output to the U.S. economy. The lodging sector had the highest direct contributions with $11.1 billion in economic output. Restaurants received the next greatest direct contributions with $5.7 billion in economic output.

An interactive tool is available to explore visitor spending, labor income, and total economic contribution by sector for national, state and local economies. Users can also view year-by-year trend data. The interactive tool and report are available on the NPS website (https://www.nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/vse.htm).

To learn more about national parks in Virginia and how the National Park Service works with Virginia communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to www.nps.gov/virginia.

—NPS— 
Booker T. Washington National Monument preserves the plantation where Washington was born into slavery in 1856 and lived until he and his family were emancipated at the end of the Civil War in 1865. He is known as an educator who guided the Tuskegee Institute, now Tuskegee University, as well as an orator, author and leader in the African-American community. Learn more at www.nps.gov/bowa.

About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 430+ national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.