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Contact: Lauren Gurniewicz, 757-871-0590
YORKTOWN, Va. – A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 3,114,420 visitors to Colonial National Historical Park in 2021 spent $336,833,000 in communities near the park. That spending supported 5,039 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $453,114,000.
“National parks are a vital part of our nation’s economy, especially for park gateway communities where millions of visitors each year find a place to sleep and eat and make use of local services that help drive a vibrant tourism and outdoor recreation industry,” said Superintendent Jerri Marr. “At Colonial National Historical Park, we share the story of English colonization in a Native homeland at Jamestown and the struggle for American independence at Yorktown. We strive to shed light on previously forgotten and untold stories and people. The scenic 23-mile Colonial Parkway links Jamestown and Yorktown and provides one of the most enjoyable drives in the Historic Triangle.”
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 Virginia and how the National Park Service works with state name communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to https://www.nps.gov/state/va/index.htm.
www.nps.gov
About Colonial National Historical Park. Colonial National Historical Park was established in 1930 to preserve important 17th and 18th century sites that tell the story of English colonization in a Native homeland and the struggle for American independence. Jamestown’s legacy includes representative government, but also slavery, a brutal institution that spread throughout the colonies. At Yorktown, Virginia colonists fought in the last major battle of the American Revolutionary War. The scenic 23-mile Colonial Parkway links the sites. Learn more online.
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 423 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Last updated: July 17, 2022