ARIZONA NEWS

Petrified Forest National Park touts $68M in economic benefits last year

Jun 26, 2021, 5:45 AM

(Facebook Photo/ Petrified Forest National Park)...

(Facebook Photo/ Petrified Forest National Park)

(Facebook Photo/ Petrified Forest National Park)

PHOENIX– The Petrified Forest National Park announced that tourism generated over $68 million in economic benefits last year, officials said Wednesday.

The report showed that, in 2020, tourists in the Petrified Forest National Park spent over $25 million, which supported 328 local jobs, officials said a press release.

The analysis was conducted by economists with the National Park Service and U.S. Geological Survey.

Tourists supported the gateway communities surrounding national parks through housing and restaurant spending, and the report showed that parks generated billions of dollars for jobs and companies surrounding the country’s national parks, the release said.

“Petrified Forest National Park values its gateway community of Holbrook, AZ and the visitor friendly businesses that play such an important role in the overall experience of visiting the park,” Superintendent Jeannine McElveen said in the release.

The report also stated that the cumulative benefit of national parks was $28.6 billion in 2020.

To learn more about national parks in Arizona, go to nps.gov.

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Petrified Forest National Park touts $68M in economic benefits last year