Date: April 28, 2017
Contact: Hilary Clark, (928) 467-2241
Roosevelt, AZ - A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that in 2016, 38,048 visitors to Tonto National Monument spent $2,224,600 in communities near the park. This visitor spending supported 33 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $3,155,800.
"Tonto National Monument welcomes our local visitors and others from around the world," said Superintendent Duane Hubbard. "We are delighted to share the story of Salado cliff dwellings and prehistoric artifacts that have been preserved for over 700 years. National park tourism is a significant driver in the national economy, returning more than $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service, and it's a big factor in the Gila County 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."
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 $18.4 billion of direct spending by 331 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported 318,000 jobs nationally; 271,544 of those jobs are found in these gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $34.9 billion.
According to the 2016 report, most park visitor spending was for lodging (31.2 percent) followed by food and beverages (27.2 percent), gas and oil (11.7 percent), admissions and fees (10.2 percent), souvenirs and other expenses (9.7 percent), local transportation (7.4 percent), and camping fees (2.5 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 website: go.nps.gov/vse.
The report includes information for visitors spending at individual parks and by state. To learn more about national parks in Arizona and how the National Park Service works with Arizona communities to help reserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to https://www.nps.gov/state/az/index.htm?program=all.
Tonto National Monument protects two cliff dwellings built by the Salado people over 700 years ago. Established as a national monument in 1907 by President Teddy Roosevelt, the cliff dwellings were part of the early archaeological preservation movement in America. The Monument is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. except for December 25. Directions and additional information are available on the Monument's website, www.nps.gov/tont, or you may call (928) 467-2241.
No camping is available at Tonto National Monument. The nearest camping is available at Windy Hill Campground in Tonto National Forest. For more information on camping, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/tonto/.
For more information contact:
(928) 467-2241 and tont_information@nps.gov
Or visit:
https://www.nps.gov/tont
https://www.facebook.com/TontoNPS
https://instagram.com/TontoNPS
