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Contact: George E. Price, Jr., Superintendent, 508-957-0739 SOUTH WELLFLEET, MA – A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that more than 4.4 million visitors in 2012 spent over $179 million at Cape Cod National Seashore and in communities near the park. That spending supported approximately 2,170 jobs in the area. "Cape Cod National Seashore is proud to welcome visitors from across the country and around the world," said Superintendent George Price. "We are delighted to share the story of this place and the experiences it provides and to use the seashore as a way to introduce our visitors to this part of the country and all that it offers. National park tourism is a significant driver in the national economy – returning $10 for every $1 invested in the national park Service – and it's a big factor in our local economy as well. We appreciate the partnership and support of our neighbors and are glad to be able to give back by helping to sustain local communities."
"The people and the business owners in communities near national parks have always known their economic value," said Price. "Cape Cod National Seashore is clean, green fuel for the engine that drives our local economy."
The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by U.S. /Geological Survey economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas and Christopher Huber and Lynne Koontz for the National Park Service. The report shows $14.7 billion of direct spending by 283 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported 243,000 jobs nationally, with 201,000 jobs found in these gateway communities, and had a cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy of $26.75 billion.
According to the report most visitor spending supports jobs in restaurants, grocery and convenience stores (39 percent), hotels, motels and B&BS (27percent), and other amusement and recreation (20 percent).
To download the report visit https://www.nature.nps.gov/socialscience/economics.cfm. The report includes information for visitor spending at individual parks and by state.
Please visit the following link for b-roll prepared by the National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov/news/econ_b-roll.htm.
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 www.nps.gov/Massachusetts. ###
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Last updated: February 26, 2015