Report: NPS generated $26 million for surrounding area last year

A new National Park Service report for 2011 shows that the 650,000 visitors to national park lands in the Santa Monica Mountains spent $26 million in the surrounding community. This spending supported 350 local jobs.

Source of this article: The Thousand Oaks Acorn, March 28, 2013

The report only studied the number of visitors to national park-owned lands, which make up 15 percent of the recreation area. The total number of visitors to the Santa Monica Mountains, including lands managed by the state and counties, is well into the millions.

“Whether they’re coming for the trails, beaches or a scenic drive on the Pacific Coast or Mulholland highways, these visitors spend money that helps support local businesses,” said park superintendent David Szymanski.

The information on Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is part of a peer-reviewed spending analysis of national park visitors across the country conducted by Michigan State University for the National Park Service.

For 2011, that report shows $13 billion of direct spending by 279 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. That visitor spending had a $30-billion impact on the entire U.S. economy and supported 252,000 jobs nationwide.

To download the report, visit www.nature.nps. gov/socialscience and click on “Economic Benefits to Local Communities from National Park Visitation, 2011.” The report includes information for visitor spending at individual parks and by state.