NEW ORLEANS, LA - A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 273,499 visitors to Jean Lafitte National Historical Park & Preserve and New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park in 2021 spent $17.8 million in communities near the park. That spending supported 248 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $24.5 million.
“National parks are a vital part of our nation’s economy, especially for park gateway communities. Each year millions of park visitors make use of local services that help drive a vibrant tourism and outdoor recreation industry," said Acting Park Superintendent Tracy Stakely. “At Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve and New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, we share the nature, history and diverse cultural traditions of Louisiana's Mississippi River Delta. We are honored to be a part of a tourism industry that supports local economies while introducing visitors from across the country and around the world to this unique environment and all that it offers."
The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by economists at the National Park Service and the U.S. Geological Survey. The report shows $20.5 billion of direct spending by more than 297 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported 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.
As for the economics of visitor spending, the lodging sector had the highest direct effects, with $7 billion in economic output nationally. The restaurants sector was had the second greatest effects, with $4.2 billion in economic output nationally.
Report authors also produce an interactive tool that enables users to explore visitor spending, jobs, labor income, value added, and output effects by sector for national, state, and local economies. Users can also view year-by-year trend data. The interactive tool and report are available at the NPS Social Science Program webpage: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/vse.htm
To learn more about national parks in Louisiana and how the National Park Service works with Louisiana communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to www.nps.gov/LA
www.nps.gov
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
