Report Shows National Park Service Financial Benefit To Local Communities
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The National Park Service issued a new report Monday that showed Biscayne National Park saw nearly 500,000 visitors in 2012 and those tourists spent $29 million in the communities around the park.
The NPS report said the money spent at Biscayne National Park helped support 376 jobs in the area.
"Biscayne National Park is proud to welcome visitors from around the nation and the world, and to contribute to the local economy," said Superintendent Brian Carlstrom. "We appreciate the partnership and support of our neighbors and are glad to be able to give back by helping to sustain local communities."
But Biscayne National Park wasn't the only South Florida park analyzed by the NPS. According to the report, Dry Tortugas National Park saw 60,550 visitors in 2012 that spent $3.2 million in local communities which helped fund 33 jobs.
All total, the national park report found the nation's parks saw 283 million park visitors in communities close to the parks who spent $14.7 billion. All of the spending helped support 243,000 jobs national and had a cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy of $26.75 billion.