Tourism to Voyageurs National Park Creates Over $18 Million in Economic Benefit

A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 237,249 visitors to Voyageurs National Park in 2017 spent over $18 million in communities near the park. That spending supported 273 jobs in the local area. "The environment of northern Minnesota is integral to our economy in so many ways. Assuring we have places like Voyageurs National Park to provide a way to escape to and connect with our environment is vital to our economy as well,” said Superintendent Bob DeGross.

The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Park Service Environmental Quality control economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas, Lynne Koontz, and Egan Cornachione. The report shows $18.2 billion of direct spending by 331 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported 306,000 jobs nationally and had a cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy of $35.8 billion.

To download the report visit http://www.nature.nps.gov/socialscience/economics.cfm. The report includes information for visitor spending at individual parks and by state.