News Release

Tourism to Park Creates $2.5 million in Economic Benefits

A bronze Charles Young plaque stands in front of Youngsholm.

NPS Photo / Tom Engberg

News Release Date: May 28, 2019

Contact: Dr. Joy Kinard, 937-352-6757

Tourism to Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument creates $2.5 million in Economic Benefits

Report shows visitor spending supports 29 jobs in local economy

 

WILBERFORCE, OHIO - A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 31,000+ visitors to Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument in 2018 spent $1.9 million in communities near the park. That spending supported 29 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $2.5 million.

“Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument welcomes visitors from across the country and around the world,” said Superintendent Dr. Joy Kinard. “We are delighted to share the story of the heroic and iconic Buffalo Soldiers, especially that of Colonel Charles Young, and the experiences the park provides to visitors. We also feature the park as a way to introduce visitors to west-central Ohio 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 with over $2 million dollars in economic benefits infused into the area. We appreciate the partnership and support of our neighbors and are glad to be able to give back by helping to sustain communities in and around the Wilberforce area.”

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.

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 and bars and another $1.4 billion at grocery and 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 more than 20,000 jobs.

Report authors also produced 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.

Learn more about national parks in Ohio and how the National Park Service works with Ohio communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation.