Staff Report
Over 5 million visitors at national parks in Texas spent $370,500,000 last year – this resulted in 5,412 jobs which had a cumulative benefit to the state economy of $578,500,000.
The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by economists at the National Park Service (NPS) 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 had the second greatest effects, with $4.2 billion in economic output nationally.
The national parks in Texas are:
- Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument
- Amistad National Recreation Area
- Big Bend National Park
- Big Thicket National Preserve
- Chamizal National Memorial
- El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail
- El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail
- Fort Davis National Historic Site
- Guadalupe Mountains National Park
- Lake Meredith National Recreation Area
- Lyndon B Johnson National Historical Park
- Padre Island National Seashore
- Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park
- Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River
- San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
- Waco Mammoth National Monument
