In honor of 100 years of the National Park Service, Padre Island National Seashore, along with all the other national parks in the U.S., offered 16 fee-free days. PINS is now considering doubling its entry fees. Photo courtesy PINS.
The 643,013 visitors to Padre Island National Seashore last year spent $27 million in the cities and communities in the Coastal Bend. According to a National Park Service report, that spending supported 406 local jobs and boosted the economy by $31 million.
“Padre Island National Seashore welcomes visitors from across the country and around the world,” said Superintendent Mark Spier. “National park tourism is a significant driver in the national economy, returning more than $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service, and it’s a big factor in our local economy as well.”
The National Park System’s 417 parks celebrated 100 years of existence in 2016. During that year 331 million park visitors spent $18.4 billion in communities within 60 miles of a national park. Nationally, the spending supported 318,000 jobs. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $34.9 billion.
Most park spending was for lodging (31.2 percent), followed by food and beverages (27.2 percent), gas and oil (11.7 percent), admissions and fees (10.2 percent), souvenirs and other expenses (9.7 percent), local transportation (7.4 percent), and camping fees (2.5 percent).
A new interactive tool created by authors of the report explores current year visitor spending, jobs, labor income, value added and output effects by sector for national, state and local economies. Find it at go.nps.gov/vse. Creators are economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas of the U.S. Geological Survey and Lynne Koontz of the National Park Service.
The National Parks System is dedicated to helping preserve local history and creating close-to-home recreational opportunities.
