News Release

Tourism to Pecos NHP Report

An arched doorway in the Mission Church

NPS Image/VIP Stan Ford 2016

News Release Date: June 22, 2021

Contact: Becky Latanich, [phone]

Tourism to Pecos National Historical Park creates $2,892,000 in Economic Benefits 

Report shows visitor spending supports 33 jobs in local economy 

Pecos, NM:– A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 36,695 visitors to Pecos National Historical Park in 2020 spent $2,199,000 in communities near the park. That spending supported 33 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $2,892,000. 

"Pecos National Historical Park has carefully opened access to our many opportunities as conditions and guidelines allow," said Superintendent Karl Cordova. "We look forward to hosting visitors and partners back to this important landscape that tells the story of much of our shared American history." 
 

The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by economists with the National Park Service and the U.S. Geological Survey. The report shows $14.5 billion of direct spending by more than 237 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported 234,000 jobs nationally; 194,400 of those jobs are found in these gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $28.6 billion.  
 

Looking at the economics of visitor spending nationally, the lodging sector had the highest direct effects, with $5 billion in economic output. The restaurants sector was had the second greatest effects, with $3 billion in economic output. Visitor spending on lodging supported more than 43,100 jobs and more than 45,900 jobs in restaurants. Visitor spending in the recreation industries supported more than 18,100 jobs and spending in retail supported more than 14,300 jobs. 
 

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 on the  NPS Social Science Program page on NPS.gov  

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