Millions in economic benefits come from Shenandoah National Park visitors
LURAY, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- The Shenandoah National Park creates millions in economic benefits for the communities around it.
The National Park Service reports that 1.4 million people visited the park in 2019 and spent $96.7 million in the nearby communities, which supported 1,190 jobs. These communities are called gateway communities.
According to a release, this had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $129 million.
"These numbers show the tremendous impacts that Shenandoah and the National Park System have on our local and state economies," said Acting SNP Superintendent Kevin Soviak. "Not only do our national parks have beneficial economic impacts, but they also have positive influences on the collective physical and mental wellness of their visitors. Especially in times like these, the nation, along with all of our visitors from other countries, need our national parks more than ever. As Shenandoah National Park welcomes back people to the park, we are excited to share these scenic lands and the wildlife within."
The release says a peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted that showed $21 billion in direct spending by more than 327 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park across the country.
This supported 340,500 jobs nationally, 278,000 of which are in such gateway communities. The cumulative economic benefit to the U.S. economy was $41.7 billion.
The release says lodging expenses made up the largest portion of the spending, or about $7.1 billion in 2019, while the restaurant sector came in second with $4.2 billion.
There was also $2.16 billion spent on gas for vehicles and $1.93 billion spent in retail.
