Assateague seashore generated $110M economic impact

Assateague Island National Seashore drew more than two million visitors in 2015, creating an economic impact valued at nearly $110 million in the local communities.

That spending supported 1,320 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $109,970,500, it said.The National Park Service said in its annual report that 2,275,606 visitors who visited the National Seashore  spent $96,705,600 in communities near the park.

“Assateague Island National Seashore welcomes visitors from across the country and around the world,” said Superintendent Debbie Darden in a news release.

“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.”

She said national park tourism was a significant driver in the national economy, returning $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service.

The 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 $16.9 billion of direct spending by 307.2 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported 295,000 jobs nationally; 252,000 of those jobs are found in these gateway communities.

The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $32 billion, their report said.

According to the 2015 report, most park visitor spending was for lodging (31.1 percent) followed by food and beverages (20.2 percent), gas and oil (11.8 percent), admissions and fees (10.2 percent) and souvenirs and other expenses (9.8 percent).

Report authors this year also created an interactive tool where 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 webpage at go.nps.gov/vse.