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Tom Wilson
Contact: Mary Beach, 678-538-1210 SANDY SPRINGS, GA - A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that more than 3 million visitors in 2010 spent $89,784,000 at Chattahoochee River NRA and in communities near the park. That spending supported more than 1,160 jobs in the area. "The people and the business owners in communities near national parks have always known their economic value," said park superintendent Patty Wissinger. "Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area is an extremely valuable natural and recreational resource for the Atlanta-metro area. It directly contributes to a higher quality of life for residents and is part of the engine that drives our local economy." 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 United States, local visitor spending added a total of $31 billion to the national economy and supported more than 258,000 jobs, an increase of $689 million and 11,500 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 Georgia, go to https://www.nps.gov/georgia. |
Last updated: April 14, 2015