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New National Park Service report details how Apostle Islands visitors generate $55.7 million in local economic impact
The National Park Service has released a new report on how visitor spending benefits gateway communities. Locally, the park service says that in 2023, 247,000 visitors to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore spent an estimated $44.4 million in local gateway regions. Those tourism dollars supported a total of 608 jobs, $17.2 million in labor income, $29.4 million in value added, and $55.7 million in economic output in local economies surrounding the park.
Park service data says visitor spending, jobs created and economic output related to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore peaked in 2021 and fell slightly in both 2022 and 2023. Some of this trend may be related to changes in how the calculations are made. You can explore the data using the interactive tool on the park service website. or click to enlarge the images below.
Superintendent Lynne Dominy said, “We are fortunate to have local communities which have built a workforce to support tourism in and around Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Visitors to these remote islands in northern Wisconsin want to go boating around the islands but also need a great place to stay, quality places to eat, and unique experiences created by local businesses. We are proud to support more than 600 jobs and $55 million in revenue to communities near the park.”
The new visitor spending report follows a park visitation report published in February. That report said visits to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in 2023 fell slightly to 247,167 from 254,952 visits in 2022.
Our national parks generated $93 million for Wisconsin’s economy. Those numbers include the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore as well as the St. Croix National Scenic River. You can see visit the park service website to see all National Park Service units in Wisconsin.
NPS Director Chuck Sams – NPS photo
Nationwide, the National Park System received 325.5 million recreation visits (up 4% from 2022). spending in communities near national parks in 2023 resulted in a record high $55.6 billion benefit to the nation’s economy and supported 415,400 jobs. The lodging sector had the highest direct contributions with $9.9 billion in economic output and 89,200 jobs. Restaurants received the next greatest direct contributions with $5.2 billion in economic output and 68,600 jobs.
National Park Service Director Chuck Sams said in a news release, “I’m so proud that our parks and the stories we tell make a lasting impact on more than 300 million visitors a year. And I’m just as proud to see those visitors making positive impacts of their own, by supporting local economies and jobs in every state in the country.”
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said, “This report illustrates the significant economic benefits national parks provide to nearby communities and the U.S. economy, and the value of our work to safeguard these public lands in the wake of the climate crisis, upgrade visitor experiences and invest in park infrastructure and staff.”
Of the 429 parks in the National Park System, 400 parks counted visitors in 2023. For the first time, there are now parks reporting their visitation numbers from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and four US territories. You can download the 2023 National Park Service Visitor Spending Report here. (Adobe Acrobat Reader or other PDF reader required.)
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