Grand Canyon National Park visitors contributed $759 million to local economy in 2022
Aug 24, 2023, 4:25 AM
The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning to hikers for parts of Grand Canyon National Park. (Flickr Photo/Grand Canyon National Park)
(Flickr Photo/Grand Canyon National Park)
PHOENIX — Visitors to Grand Canyon National Park spent $759 million for the local economy in 2022, according to a report released Monday.
About 4.7 million people visited the northern Arizona park last year, the National Park Service said in a press release.
Spending supported nearly 10,000 jobs, $346 million in labor income, $576 million in added value and $1 billion in economic output in the economies surrounding the park.
“Grand Canyon National Park continues to be an economic linchpin for local communities and the region surrounding the park,” Superintendent Ed Keable said in the release.
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“We continue to heavily rely on the support of our neighbors and are proud to be able to help sustain local communities for many years to come.”
How did 2022 Grand Canyon National Park tourism compare to previous years?
Grand Canyon National Park tourism was up for a second consecutive year.
The park saw 4.5 million visitors in 2021, bringing in $710 million for the economy.
The COVID-stricken year of 2020 resulted in just 2.89 million visitors after tourism worldwide became limited following shutdowns in March that year.
Grand Canyon National Park hasn’t recovered fully from pre-pandemic levels, when nearly 6 million people visited and contributed $890 million in 2019.
How economically beneficial were parks across the nation?
Overall, there was $23.9 billion of direct spending by more than 312 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park in 2022.
Spending supported 378,000 jobs with a cumulative benefit of $50.3 billion to the economy, according to the report.
