Grand Canyon National Park tourism brought $768M to local economy in 2023

PHOENIX — Tourists to Arizona’s most famous natural wonder were a great boon to the local economy last year, the National Park Service announced on Wednesday.

In fact, a recent report found that visitors to the Grand Canyon brought $768 million to communities near the park.

Grand Canyon Superintendent Ed Keable said the report is a good opportunity to appreciate the park’s positive impact on the state.

“We’re excited to see how the Grand Canyon continues to drive economic growth in our local communities,” Keable said in a news release.

Rush of $768 million bolstered state economy last year

Grand Canyon tourism spending is going up. In fact, data analysts found visitors spent $9 million more in last year compared to 2022.

Specifically, tourists who visited the natural wonder spent $759 million in 2022.

“The spending by our visitors not only underscores the park’s allure but also highlights its vital role in supporting jobs and boosting the regional economy,” Keable said.

With one of the world’s most studied geologic landscapes, the Grand Canyon is known for its vast vistas and vibrant color palette. The Colorado River started carving it out around 70 million years ago, according to a 2012 study.

How exactly did this tourism benefit state economy last year?

The 4.7 million park visitors who spent $768 million during their trips were a huge boon to local workers. The National Park Service said they supported 10,100 local jobs.

That’s only counting money they spent near the Grand Canyon. On top of that, tourists brought $1 billion Arizona last year.

National Park Service Director Chuck Sams said he was proud that over 300 million people admire the natural park each year.

“I’m just as proud to see those visitors making positive impacts of their own, by supporting local economies and jobs in every state in the country,” Sams said in a news release.

Overall, country financially benefits from natural wonders

Zooming out, the report included more broad details explaining the positive economic impact lands run by the National Park Service have on the U.S.

Communities near national parks benefitted from $26.4 billion that 325.5 million visitors spent.

The spending had various financial advantages, such as:

• Supporting 415,400 jobs.
• Providing $19.4 billion in labor income.
• Resulting in a $55.6 billion in economic output to the U.S. economy.

Most direct contributions went to the lodging sector, which benefitted 89,200 jobs. This sector also enjoyed $9.9 billion in economic output.

Of course, exploring the American wilds is hard to do on an empty stomach.

As such, the restaurant industry received the second highest amount of direct contributions from national park visitors. It enjoyed $5.2 billion in economic output. Sixty-eight thousand and 600 jobs benefitted from this spending.