National Park visits in Colorado down in 2022, but spending up | Colorado

(The Center Square) – Colorado’s National Park Service websites noticed a dip in total visits remaining yr but an building up in shopper spending, in line with new knowledge launched by means of the federal company.

Visitors spent an estimated $804 million in native communities close to NPS-managed websites across the state, NPS’s 2022 report says. There have been over 7.4 million leisure visits to these websites remaining yr, and tourism-related spending contributed an estimated $1.3 billion in financial output.

In 2021, Colorado’s NPS websites had 7.8 million sport visits and an estimated $560 million in native spending.

Colorado is house to 4 nationwide parks – Rocky Mountain, Mesa Verde, Great Sand Dunes and Black Canyon of the Gunnison – in addition to a number of different NPS-managed sites with differing designations, reminiscent of nationwide historic websites, nationwide monuments and nationwide sport spaces.

Rocky Mountain National Park had 4.3 million visits remaining yr and $584 million in customer spending, in line with NPS knowledge. Mesa Verde National Park noticed nearly 500,000 visits, whilst $58 million was once spent in close by communities. Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve had 493,000 visits and $32.5 million spent remaining yr. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park had 297,000 visits and an estimated $20.9 million spent by means of guests.

“At the Interior Department, we understand that nature is essential to the health, well-being and prosperity of every family and every community in America,” Secretary Deb Haaland, who’s head of the U.S. Department of Interior, which oversees NPS, stated in a remark. “But outdoor recreation is not just good for the soul, it’s a significant driver of our national and local economies and job sustainability.”

NPS Director Chuck Sams added: “The impact of tourism to national parks is undeniable: bringing jobs and revenue to communities in every state in the country and making national parks an essential driver to the national economy.”