News Release

Tourism to Black Canyon and Curecanti Creates Nearly $73 Million in Economic Benefits

Date: June 12, 2018
Contact: Sandra Snell-Dobert, 970-641-2337, x227

A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 307,142 visitors to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in 2017 spent $18,656,500 in communities near the park. That spending supported 236 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $22,906,600. The report also shows that 1,041,446 visitors to Curecanti National Recreation Area in 2017 spent $44,112,300 in communities near the recreation area. That spending supported 551 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $49,922,300. 

 “Black Canyon and Curecanti welcome visitors from across the country and around the world,” said Superintendent Bruce Noble. “We are delighted to share the stories of these places and the experiences they provide. We also feature the park and recreation area as ways 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. We appreciate the partnership and support of our neighbors and are glad to be able to give back by helping to sustain local communities.”

The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas of the U.S. Geological Survey and Lynne Koontz of the National Park Service.  The report shows $18.2 billion of direct spending by more than 330 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported 306,000 jobs nationally; 255,900 of those jobs are found in these gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $35.8 billion. 

The lodging sector received the highest direct contributions with $5.5 billion in economic output to local gateway economies and 49,000 jobs. The restaurants sector received the next greatest direct contributions with $3.7 billion in economic output to local gateway economies and 60,500 jobs.

According to the 2017 report, most park visitor spending was for lodging/camping (32.9 percent) followed by food and beverages (27.5 percent), gas and oil (12.1 percent), souvenirs and other expenses (10.1 percent), admissions and fees (10.0 percent), and local transportation (7.5 percent).

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 Colorado and how the National Park Service works with Colorado communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to https://www.nps.gov/state/co/index.htm.