Floridas 11 national parks drew almost 10.7 million visitors in 2014, adding more than 9,750 jobs and $909 million to the Sunshine States economy, a National Park Service (NPS) report shows.
The report was released on Thursday and was compiled by economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas and Christopher Huber from the U.S. Geological Survey and economist Lynee Koontz from the NPS. Their study finds national parks across the nation received almost 293 million visitors, 277,000 jobs and added $29.7 billion to the national economy.
Lodging represented 30.6 percent of park visitor spending while 20.3. percent of it went to food and beverages. Gas and transportation costs represented almost 12 percent of spending while 10.2 percent of it came from admissions and fees. Almost 10 percent of visitor spending resulted from souvenir purchases.
NPS Regional Director Stan Austin insisted parks in Florida were making a major contribution to the record-breaking tourism in the Sunshine State in recent years.
The national parks of Florida attract visitors from across the country and around the world, Austin said on Thursday. Whether visitors come to learn about early Hispanic settlement at Castillo De San Marcos National Monument or see the river of grass that makes up the Everglades, visitors come to have a great experience, and end up having an economic benefit to the communities they visit. This new report shows that national park tourism is a significant driver in the national economy -- returning $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service -- and a big factor in our states economy as well, a result we can all support.
There are 11 national park sites across Florida: Big Cypress National Preserve, Biscayne National Park, Canaveral National Seashore, Castillo De San Marcos National Monument, De Soto National Memorial, Dry Tortugas National Park, Everglades National Park, Fort Caroline National Memorial, Fort Matanzas National Monument, Gulf Islands National Seashore and Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
