News Release
NPS Photo/J.Wei
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Contact: Jessica Ferracane
HAWAII NATIONAL PARK, Hawaiʻi – A new National Park Service report shows that 1,433,593 visitors to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park in 2024 spent $445 million in communities near the park. That spending had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $571 million.“People come to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park to experience active volcanism, its plants and animals, and the Hawaiian culture, and as a result, visitors support and spend money in local communities,” said Superintendent Rhonda Loh. “We mahalo the communities and the visitor industry who in turn support the park and our visitors.”
The 2024 Visitor Spending Effects analysis incorporates newly available survey data for Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park that was collected as part of NPS socioeconomic monitoring. Previous spending estimates for Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park were calculated using generalized trip and spending data from other parks in the National Park System. The new survey data revealed that visitors spend more time and money during their visit compared to the generalized data. Overall, the 2024 visitor spending estimates more accurately reflect local visitor spending patterns, as well as changes in inflation and visitation. For more information, view the Visitor Spending Effects webpage.
2024 Highlights:
In 2024, 1.4 million park visitors spent $445 million in the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park local area (Island of Hawaiʻi). These expenditures supported a total of 3,605 jobs and $571 million in economic output in local gateway economies.
• About 80% of visitors stayed overnight in local area lodging and spent an average of $763 per group per night.
• On average, visitors who stayed in local area accommodations (lodging, camping, or staying in unpaid lodging with family/friends) spent 6.4 nights on the Island of Hawai’i.
• Approximately 24% of all overnight visitors indicated Hawai’i Volcanoes NP was the primary reason for their trip to the Island of Hawai’i.
The National Park Service report, 2024 National Park Visitor Spending Effects, finds that visitors spent $29 billion in communities near national parks. This spending provided $18.8 billion in labor income and $56.3 in economic output to the U.S. economy. The lodging sector had the highest direct contributions with $11.1 billion in economic output. Restaurants received the next greatest direct contributions with $5.7 billion in economic output.
An interactive tool is available to explore visitor spending, labor income, and total economic contribution by sector for national, state and local economies. Users can also view year-by-year trend data. The interactive tool and report are available on the NPS website.
To learn more about national parks in Hawaiʻi and how the National Park Service works with communities in Hawaiʻi to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to www.nps.gov/Hawaiʻi.
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About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 430+ 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: September 25, 2025