News Release

Tourism to the National Park of American Samoa Creates $971,600 in Economic Benefits

Date: April 25, 2016
Contact: Michael Larson, 684 633-7082 ext 20 phone

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa — A new National Park Service report shows that 13,893visitors to the National Park of American Samoa in 2015spent $795,500in villages near the park. That spending supported ninejobs in the local areaand had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $971,600.

“The National Park of American Samoa is proud to welcome visitors from throughout American Samoa and aroundthe world,” said Superintendent Scott Burch. “We are delighted to share the story of this place and the experiences it provides. We also featurethe park as a way to introduce our visitors to this part of the South Pacific and all that it offers. 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 the villagesand are glad to be able to give back by helping to sustain local communities.”

The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by economists Catherine CullinaneThomas 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. Thecumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $32 billion.

According to the 2015 report, most park visitor spendingwas 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.

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

To learn more about the National Park of American Samoa and how the National Park Service works with the American Samoa villages to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to www.nps.gov/americansamoa.
 

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