Bay Area's National Parks Pumping $1 Billion Into Local Economy, Report Finds
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- The Bay Area's eleven National Parks sites are more popular than ever, and the result is more tourist dollars being directed into Bay Area communities and businesses.
A new report found that tourism at attractions like Alcatraz, and Muir Woods are on the increase. Alcatraz alone hosts over 1.5 million visitors per year.
"We know that there are a lot of people who add an extra day to their stay in San Francisco specifically to go to Alcatraz, or to go to Muir Woods," National Parks Spokeswoman Alexandra Pickavet told KCBS.
The Park Service estimated that their sites pump more than $1 billion into the Bay Area's economy.
Stinson Beach, Muir Woods, and Point Reyes National Parks bring in half of that $1 billion alone, according to the Park Service.
"All those national park sites draw people to areas in the Bay Area, and when they are there, they're buying lunch, they're buying gasoline, they're renting cars, they're in hotel rooms, they're buying trinkets, things to remember their trip by," Pickavet said.
