Report: VNP visitors spent $16 million in 2012

“This growth over the last few years means that for every $1 spent by tax payers to run Voyageurs National Park, $4 is returned to the gateway communities” VNP Superintendent Mike Ward said.

The report shows $14.7 billion of direct spending by 283 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park in the U.S. This spending supported 243,000 jobs nationally, with 201,000 jobs found in these gateway communities, and had a cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy of $26.75 billion. The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by U.S. Geological Survey economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas and Christopher Huber and Lynne Koontz for the National Park Service.

According to the national report, most visitor spending supports jobs in restaurants, grocery and convenience stores (39 percent), hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts (27 percent), and other amusement and recreation (20 percent).

Pete Schultz, director of the local Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the figures are a step in the right direction in taking measurements of the influence the park has on the local economy.

He said the report would help to reinforce the idea tourism is a very important part of the local economy and the national park is a large part of the draw to the area.

“The benefit of taking measurements is so we have benchmarks to look at and see that things are improving,” Schultz said. “And that would encourage Congress to invest more in the park, which would attract more people and contribute to local economy.”

Schultz said the national park service has in the past been reluctant to provide figures. He said studies provided to the community when the park was established in 1978 estimated it would draw 1 million visitors.

While the report shows VNP falls short of that estimate, the information provided can be used for comparisons in the future.

Voyageurs staff has said in the past it’s been difficult to compile visitor estimates because of the many entry points into the water-based park.

Falls Chamber of Commerce Director Faye Whitbeck said the report shows the park service understands the value of the information.

“I can’t wait to be able to have figures to talk about what the park brings to us,” she said. “It’s been the topic of discussion for years — how it measures up.”

She credited park service staff for taking the initiative and investment to gather the figures in the report.

The figures from the report would be used by the chamber to show its members how the park has influenced tourism and she said developing a percent of what businesses are used most is also valuable.

“We can say ‘this is how it’s been evaluated,’” she said. “This is a good baseline going forward.”

The report said in 2012 just more than 600,000 visitors stopped at the four Minnesota sites, supporting 500 jobs and spending more than $34 million.

Meanwhile, a 16-day government shutdown in October 2013 had significant effects on National Park Service visitation levels for the month and the resulting spending effects in gateway communities across the country, the report said.

However, Voyageurs was among seven parks with an increase over $500,000 in NPS related visitor spending in October 2013 compared to average October visitation.

An email to local park staff for an explanation of the increase was not returned in time for this edition.