News Release

Tourism to Channel Islands National Park creates $31.2 million in Economic Benefits.

Date: June 24, 2022
Contact: Jasmine Reinhardt

Ventura, CA – A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 319,000 visitors to Channel Islands National Park in 2021 spent $21.3 million in communities near the park. That spending supported 254 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $31.2 million. 

“National parks are a vital part of our nation’s economy, especially for park gateway communities like Ventura, where travelers from across the globe find a place to sleep and eat, buy a ticket to the islands, book an experience with an authorized outfitter and guide and make use of other local services that help drive a vibrant tourism and outdoor recreation industry,” said Superintendent Ethan McKinley. “At Channel Islands National Park, we are proud to contribute to the local economy while welcoming visitors to experience the internationally-significant ecology and history of these islands.” 

The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by economists at the National Park Service and the U.S. Geological Survey. The report shows $20.5 billion of direct spending by more than 297 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported 322,600 jobs nationally; 269,900 of those jobs are found in these gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $42.5 billion.  

As for the economics of visitor spending, the lodging sector had the highest direct effects, with $7 billion in economic output nationally. The restaurants sector had the second greatest effects, with $4.2 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: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/vse.htm  

To learn more about national parks in California and how the National Park Service works with California communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to https://www.nps.gov/state/ca/index.htm.