Report details financial impact of Glacier Park

 A new report finds that the 2.2 million people who visited Glacier National Park in 2012 spent about $172 million in communities near the park, and that spending supported 2,754 jobs.

The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted for the National Park Service by U.S. Geological Survey economists Catherine Culliname Thomas, Christopher Huber and Lynne Koontz.

The report shows that, across the country, there was $14.7 billion in direct spending by 283 million park visitors within 60 miles of national parks. The total spending supported 243,000 jobs nationally. 

The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy is estimated to be $26.75 billion.

According to the report, most visitor spending supports jobs in restaurants, grocery and convenience stores (39 percent), hotels, motels and bed-and-breakfast locations (27 percent) and other amusement and recreation (20 percent).

“We are honored and proud to welcome visitors from across the country and around the world to Glacier National Park,” Jeff Mow, Glacier’s superintendent, said in a news release. “Glacier is a special place and many times visitors travel to Montana specifically to visit Glacier and are introduced to the many other wonderful amenities that Montana, and Northwest Montana, have to offer.”