Jobs and Visitor Spending from NC Parks

A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 17,834,698 visitors to national parks in North Carolina spent $1.19 billion in the state in 2015. That spending resulted in 19,984 jobs and had a cumulative benefit to the state economy of $1.67 billion.  “The national parks of North Carolina attract visitors from across the country and around the world,” said Stan Austin, Southeast Regional Director. Some of the parks visitation numbers for NC Parks are:  Blue Ridge Parkway: 8,742,112 non-local visitor; Cape Hatteras National Seashore: 2,132,600 non-local visitors; Great Smoky Mountains National Park: 4,445,562 non-local visitors; and Wright Brothers National Memorial: 367,235 non-local visitors. According to the 2015 report, most park visitor spending was for lodging (31.1 percent) followed by food and beverages (20.2 percent), gas and oil (11.8 percent), admissions and fees (10.2 percent) and souvenirs and other expenses (9.8 percent). This year marks the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service.