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Contact: Stephenie Wade
GULF BREEZE, Fla. -- The National Park Service announced that 400 national parks reported a total of 325.5 million visits in 2023, an increase of 13 million or 4% over 2022. At Gulf Islands National Seashore, visitation numbers visitation increased 40 percent from last year’s 5.7 million visitors, and it is now the 5th most visited national park site.
Besides the emerald coast and sandy white beaches, many factors contributed to the increase in visitation in 2023 including the return of the ferry service to Fort Pickens by Pensacola City Bay Ferry and the reopening of the Fort Barrancas Area in the Florida district. Also, an increase in public programs and visitation to Ship Island in the Mississippi district.
“Visitation figures and trends guide how the National Park Service manages parks to ensure the best experience possible for park visitors,” said Steven McCoy, deputy superintendent. “Gulf Islands is committed to improving the visitor experience and facilities commonly used every day. Last year, the park obligated $2.2M towards visitor enhancement projects.”
In 2023, the park completed the following projects: repaved campground pads and installed a multi-use path along the roadway in Mississippi; In Florida, the park rehabilitated restrooms in the Fort Pickens historic district and Johnson Beach and performed preservation on Fort Pickens and Battery Cooper.
This year visitors can look forward to new exhibits in the Florida district; installation of accessible beach crossovers and parking lots in the Perdido Key Area; and repairs to the Perdido Key Nature Trail boardwalk, and preservation of the Spanish Water Battery. In the Mississippi district visitors can look forward to a new ADA-accessible kayak launch, repairs to the nature trail boardwalk, and preservation of Fort Massachusetts. Also, replacement of fire rings, grill, and accessible picnic tables park-wide.
Other funded resources visitors don’t see but contribute to an experience are trash removal, cleaning services, removal of stranded boats, replacing entrance lift gates, repairing plumbing and roofs, sand removal, and repaving/restriping roadways.
The NPS Visitor Statistics Dashboard provides recreational visit statistics for every park in the US for 2023 and also for previous years, dating back to 1979 for some parks.
About Gulf Islands National Seashore: Created in 1971, the national seashore stretches 160 miles along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico in Florida and Mississippi and includes barrier islands, maritime forests, historic forts, bayous, and marine habitats. Visit us at www.nps.gov/guis, on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 429 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: February 28, 2024