News Release

Visitor Spending Effects 2017

A record crowd of 1,000+ people gathered on the park to experience the 2017 Solar Eclipse.

National Park Service

News Release Date: May 14, 2018

Contact: Frank Barrows, Park Superintendent, 315-336-3113

Rome, NY – A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 106,936 visitors to Fort Stanwix National Monument in 2017 spent $5,743,600 in communities near the park. That spending supported 78 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $7,220,000.
 “Fort Stanwix National Monument is proud to attract visitors from all over the globe to experience this compelling destination,” said Superintendent Frank Barrows. “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 in Central New York.”

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 New York and how the National Park Service works with New York communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to www.nps.gov/NewYork.

Fort Stanwix National Monument is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to the park is free. For park information please call [phone], visit us at www.nps.gov/fost, or follow us on Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram. Fort Stanwix is one of over 400 parks in the National Park System. To learn more about national parks, visit www.nps.gov.

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