Yosemite Visitors Spend $320 Million, Report Says

by Mark Grossi
Fresno Bee - November 7, 2003

Yosemite National Park tourists spent about $320 million in 2001, creating more than 8,000 jobs in nearby communities and adding value to a priceless destination, according to a report made public Thursday.

The National Parks Conservation Association reported visitors to Yosemite and 22 other national parks in California contributed almost $1.2 billion annually to state and local economies.

"National parks and visitation result in people spending money in the communities around them," said Courtney Cuff, Pacific regional director for the association. "It's important to invest federal money in these places, because nature isn't the only thing that suffers if national parks decline."

The report, "National Treasures as Economic Engines," used a modeling program first developed by Michigan State University for the National Park Service. The model related visitation and spending per night to jobs created.

The $320 million spent in communities around Yosemite created 8,864 jobs, according to the report. The park had more than 3.3 million visitors.

"Yosemite National Park has a significant impact on the chamber, our businesses and our communities within eastern Madera County," said Russ Holcomb, executive director of the Eastern Madera County Chamber of Commerce.

Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks attracted almost $100 million from tourists and employed 2,423 people. Visitors to Point Reyes National Seashore, just north of San Francisco, spent about $84 million, which translated into about 2,000 jobs.