Report tracks economic impacts of Glacier Park

A new National Park Service report shows that 1.85 million visitors in 2011 spent almost $98 million in Glacier National Park and communities near the park.

That spending supported 1,386 local jobs, according to a news release from Glacier Park.

“Glacier National Park has historically been an economic driver in the state and region,” Acting Glacier Superintendent Kym Hall said.

“This report shows the positive economic impact that Glacier and other National Park Service sites have on our local and national economy.”

The visitor spending analysis was conducted by Yue Cui, Ed Mahoney, and Teresa Herbowicz of Michigan State University for the National Park Service. 

The report shows $13 billion in direct spending by 279 million national park visitors. The spending occurred in communities within 60 miles of a national park and supported 252,000 jobs, most of which in the communities near national parks.

The visitor spending had a $30 billion impact on the U.S. economy.

According to the report, most visitor spending supports jobs in lodging, food, and beverage service (63 percent) followed by recreation and entertainment (17 percent), other retail (11percent), transportation and fuel (7 percent) and wholesale and manufacturing (2 percent).

The report, available online at www.nature.nps.gov/socialscience/docs/NPSSystemEstimates2011.pdf, includes information for visitor spending at individual parks and by state.