News Release

Tourism to Cape Lookout National Seashore creates $20.3 Million in Economic Benefits

Date: May 23, 2019
Contact: B.G. Horvat, 252-838-8906

Report shows visitor-spending supports 263 jobs in local economy

HARKERS ISLAND, NC – A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 408 thousand visitors to Cape Lookout National Seashore in 2018 spent $18.8 million dollars in communities near the park. That spending supported 263 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $20.3 million dollars.

 “Cape Lookout National Seashore welcomes visitors from our community, from across the country and around the world,” said Superintendent Jeff West. “We are delighted to share the story of this place, and the experiences it provides. We also feature the park 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. People that come to Carteret County return repeatedly because of the variety of opportunities that area has to offer. We are thankful to be able to give back by supporting tourism to the area.”

Visitors to Cape Lookout National Seashore spent $5.4 million on local hotels and rental houses, $4.2 million in local restaurants, $2.7 million at grocery stores, $2.7 million at local gasoline dealers, and $1.5 million in retail shops. An additional $2.3 million was spent on various recreational purists, and transportation.

The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas and Egan Cornachione of the U.S. Geological Survey, and Lynne Koontz of the National Park Service. The report shows $20.2 billion of direct spending by more than 318 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported 329,000 jobs nationally; 268,000 of those jobs are found in these gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $40.1 billion.

Nationwide, lodging expenses account for the largest share of visitor spending, about $6.8 billion in 2018. Food expenses are the second largest spending area and visitors spent $4 billion in restaurants / bars, and another $1.4 billion at grocery / convenience stores.

Visitor spending on lodging supported more than 58,000 jobs and more than 61,000 jobs in restaurants. Visitor spending in the recreation industries supported more than 28,000 jobs and spending in retail supported than 20,000 jobs.
                                            
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: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/vse.htm
 
To learn more about national parks in North Carolina and how the National Park Service works with North Carolina’s communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to www.nps.gov/northcarolina.