Visitation to Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park in 2015 creates $151,246,200 in economic benefits

Visitors enjoy a ranger-guided hike at Sulphur Banks
Visitors enjoy a ranger-guided hike at Sulphur Banks

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News Release Date: April 28, 2016

Contact: Jessica Ferracane/Public Affairs Specialist, 808-345-4216

Hawaii National Park, Hawai'i – A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 1,832,660 visitors to Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park in 2015 spent $151,246,200 in communities near the park. That spending supported 1,834 jobs on island, and had a cumulative benefit to the local community of $189,391,100.

The park's 2015 visitation is up 8.25 percent from 2014 (1,693,005 visitors), and reflects a steady trend of rising visitation to Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park since 2009. The park, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year along with the National Park Service, shares two of earth's most active volcanoes, Hawaiian culture, and native ecosystems with local residents and visitors.

"We are pleased to again report an increase in both visitation to Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park and the important economic impact park visitors have by spending money and creating jobs in our local community," said Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando. "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 clearly 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," Orlando said.

The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by U.S. Geological Survey economist Catherine Cullinane Thomas and National Park Service economist Lynne Koontz. The report shows $16.9 billion of direct spending by 307.2 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported 295,000 jobs nationally; 252,000 of those jobs are found in these gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $32 billion.

According to the 2015 report, most park visitor spending was for lodging (31.1 percent) followed by food and beverages (20.2 percent), gas and oil (11.8 percent), admissions and fees (10.2 percent) and souvenirs and other expenses (9.8 percent).

Report authors this year produced an interactive tool. Users can explore current year 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://go.nps.gov/vse or https://www.nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/vse.htm.

To learn more about national parks in Hawai'i and how the National Park Service works with Hawai'i communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to www.nps.gov/hawaii.

-NPS-



Last updated: April 28, 2016

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