Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (Arizona) continues to serve as an economic engine for the region.
As per a release, in 2021, Glen Canyon ranked 25 on the list of highest-visited sites out of the 423 National Park Service units nationwide, with 3.1 million visitors.
A 2022 National Park Service report revealed the guests made an estimated $332 million in local gateway regions around Glen Canyon NRA.
The expenditures supported the creation of 3,840 jobs as well as $139 million in labor income, $234 million in value-added, and $410 million in economic output in local gateway economies.
Glen Canyon NRA is a significant economic engine for the following counties and gateway communities, Utah, Kane (Big Water, Kanab), San Juan (Bluff, Blanding), Wayne (Hanksville), Garfield (Escalante, Ticaboo, Boulder); and Coconino County in Arizona (Page, Marble Canyon).
The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by economists from the National Park Service and the U.S. Geological Survey.
The report reveals $20.5 billion in direct spending from more than 297 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park.
The spending resulted in the creation of 322,600 jobs nationally; 269,900 of those jobs are found in these gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $42.5 billion.
In terms of the economics of visitor spending, the lodging sector had the highest direct effects, with $7 billion in economic output nationally. The restaurant sector had the second greatest effect, with $4.2 billion in economic output nationally.
The report authors also created an online tool that enables users to explore visitor spending, jobs, labor income, value-added, and output effects by sector for national, state and local economies.
For more information, click here.
It’s genuinely uplifting to see how Glen Canyon National Recreation Area’s tourism in 2021 brought about not just economic growth, but also a strong sense of community pride. The surge in visitor numbers presents an exciting opportunity for sustainable tourism initiatives and lasting improvements. What do you think about the encouraging impact of tourism on the region?
Isn’t it awesome how Glen Canyon National Recreation Area rocked in 2021, bringing in big bucks and preserving nature too? Let’s explore its hidden gems on our next trip!