From staff reports
A National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 18,300 visitors to Reconstruction Era National Historical Park in 2022 spent $1.2 million in communities near the park. That spending supported 15 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $1.4 million.
“Since 1916, the National Park Service has been entrusted with the care of our national parks. With the help of volunteers and partners, we safeguard these special places and share their stories with more than 300 million visitors every year,” National Park Service Director Chuck Sams said in a news release. “The impact of tourism to national parks is undeniable: bringing jobs and revenue to communities in every state in the country and making national parks an essential driver to the national economy.”
“The 2022 NPS Visitor Spending Effects Report marks the first time that Reconstruction Era National Historical Park has been included in this national study on visitor spending,” Chief of Interpretation Chris Barr said. “While the park’s visitors are a critical component of the local economy, we’re honored that through this park, visitors are able to experience Lowcountry culture and learn about the local community’s successes and challenges during and after the Civil War.”
The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by economists at the National Park Service. The report shows $23.9 billion of direct spending by nearly 312 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported 378,400 jobs nationally; 314,600 of those jobs are found in these gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $50.3 billion.
As for the economics of visitor spending, the lodging sector had the highest direct effects, with $9 billion in economic output nationally. The restaurants sector was had the second greatest effects, with $4.6 billion in economic output nationally.
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 at the NPS Social Science Program webpage at https://bit.ly/3LfcdhZ.
To learn more about national parks in state name and how the National Park Service works with state name communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to www.nps.gov/SOUTHCAROLINA.
For more information about Reconstruction Era National Historical Park, visit www.nps.gov/reer or follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ReconstructionNPS.
