News Release
Devils Tower National Monument
Subscribe
 |
What is RSS
|
Contact: Nancy Stimson, 307 467 5283
Devils Tower, WY –A new National Park Service report shows that 499 thousand visitors to Devils Tower in 2017 spent $31.1 million in communities near the park. That spending supported 442 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $38.7 million.
“Devils Tower welcomes visitors from across the country and around the world,” said Nancy Stimson Acting Superintendent Devils Tower National Monument. “We are delighted to share the stories of Devils Tower and the experiences it provides. We also feature Devils Tower as a way to introduce visitors to northeast Wyoming 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 the economy of the Black Hills as well. We appreciate the partnership and support of our neighbors and are glad to be able to give back by helping to sustain our 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 Wyoming and how the National Park Service works with Wyoming communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to www.nps.gov/state/wy.
To learn more about Devils Tower National Monument visit www.nps.gov/deto, www.facebook.com/Devils-Tower-National-Monument-Official-NPS-Site, twitter.com@DevilsTowerNM or Instagram at #devilstowernps.
~NPS~
About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 417 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. Last updated: April 27, 2018