News Release
Date: August 21, 2023
Anchorage, AK – A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 2,023,881 visitors to national parks in Alaska spent $1,160,600,000 in the state in 2022. That spending resulted in 16,450 jobs and had a cumulative benefit to the state economy of $1,785,800,000.
“Since 1916, the National Park Service has been entrusted with the care of our national parks. With the help of volunteers and partners, we safeguard these special places and share their stories with more than 300 million visitors every year. The impact of tourism to national parks is undeniable: bringing jobs and revenue to communities in every state in the country and making national parks an essential driver to the national economy,” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams.
“Visitors in 2022 to national parks in Alaska spent $1,160,600,000 and supported 16,450 jobs in local communities,” said Regional Director Sarah Creachbaum. The two Alaska parks with the largest amount of visitor spending are: Denali and Glacier Bay national parks. Denali accounted for $475 million in spending and supported 6,640 jobs. Visitors to Glacier Bay accounted for $225 million in spending and supported 2,820 jobs. “Every park in the state offers unique experiences, from learning about history up-close to diverse outdoor recreational opportunities. There’s something for everyone to see and enjoy,” Creachbaum said.
The national park areas in Alaska are:
Alagnak Wild River
Alaska Public Lands Information Centers
Aleutian Islands World War II National Historic Area
Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve
Bering Land Bridge National Preserve
Cape Krusenstern National Monument
Denali National Park and Preserve
Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
Inupiat Heritage Center
Katmai National Park and Preserve
Kenai Fjords National Park
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
Kobuk Valley National Park
Lake Clark National Park and Preserve
Noatak National Preserve
Sitka National Historical Park
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve
Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve
The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by economists at the National Park Service. The report shows $23.9 billion of direct spending by nearly 312 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported 378,400 jobs nationally; 314,600 of those jobs are found in these gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $50.3 billion.
As for the economics of visitor spending, the lodging sector had the highest direct effects, with $9 billion in economic output nationally. The restaurants sector was had the second greatest effects, with $4.6 billion in economic output nationally.
Report authors also produced an interactive tool that enables users to explore 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: Visitor Spending Effects - Economic Contributions of National Park Visitor Spending - Social Science (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
To learn more about national parks in Alaska and how the National Park Service works with Alaska communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to Alaska (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov).
Last updated: August 22, 2023