News Release

Tourism to Ozark National Scenic Riverways creates $60 million in Economic Benefits Report shows visitor spending supports 840 jobs in local economy

Date: May 31, 2019
Contact: Dena Matteson, 573-323-4814

VAN BUREN, MO -   A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 1.3 million visitors to Ozark National Scenic Riverways in 2018 spent $55.4 million in communities near the park. That spending supported 840 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $60 million.

 “Ozark National Scenic Riverways welcomes visitors from across the country and around the world,” said Superintendent Larry Johnson. “We are delighted to share the story of this place and the experiences it provides. We also feature the park as a way to introduce our visitors to this part of the country 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 our neighbors and are glad to be able to give back by helping to sustain local communities. After the devastating flood of 2017, visitor spending in local communities was noticeably lower than previous years. In 2018, we saw an increase in park visitation and were happy to see local communities recovering economically from the flood.”   
  
The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas and Egan Cornachione of the U.S. Geological Survey and Lynne Koontz of the National Park Service. The report shows $20.2 billion of direct spending by more than 318 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported 329,000 jobs nationally; 268,000 of those jobs are found in these gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $40.1 billion. 
Lodging expenses account for the largest share of visitor spending for national parks across the country, about $6.8 billion in 2018. Food expenses are the second largest spending area and visitors spent $4 billion in restaurants and bars and another $1.4 billion at grocery and convenience stores in gateway communities nationwide.

National park visitor spending on lodging supported more than 58,000 jobs and more than 61,000 jobs in restaurants nationwide. Visitor spending in the recreation industries supported more than 28,000 jobs and spending in retail supported more than 20,000 jobs across the country.

Report authors also produce 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: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/vse.htm 

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

www.nps.gov/ozar

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees who care for America’s 419 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.