Tourism to National Parks of New York Harbor creates $714,149,200 in Economic Benefits

Federal Hall National Memorial, located just across the street from the New York Stock Exchange, is an economic engine in its own right.

NPS PHOTO

News Release Date: April 29, 2016

Contact: John Harlan Warren, acting public affairs officer, 917-829-0425

Report shows visitor spending supports 6,890 jobs in local economy

NEW YORK – A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 16,090,450 visitors to ten National Park Service sites in New York Harbor in 2015 spent $559,169,600 in communities near the park. That spending supported 6,890 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $714,149,200.

“National Parks of New York Harbor welcomes visitors from all over the world to the ten national parks around New York Harbor,” said Commissioner Joshua Laird. “From the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island to Governors Island National Monument, the Hamilton Grange and Gateway National Recreation Area, we are delighted to share the story of America with everyone, from international visitors to local citizens. National park tourism returns $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service, so preserving some of the nation’s most precious places also helps sustain local communities by strengthening the local economy.”

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 $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: go.nps.gov/vse. (UPDATE: Working website is https://www.nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/vse.htm.)

The report includes information for visitor spending at individual parks and by state.

To learn more about national parks in New York and New Jersey and how the National Park Service works with local communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to www.nps.gov/newyork and www.nps.gov/newjersey.

About National Parks of New York Harbor

Stretching from The Battery at the southern tip of Manhattan into three other boroughs, and beyond the Verrazano Narrows Bridge to New Jersey, the National Parks of New York Harbor includes 10 national parks with 22 natural, historic and recreational sites. These national parks preserve special places that tell the story of America and its leading city. Find out more at https://www.nps.gov/npnh/index.htm.

 —NPS—