News Release

Tourism to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area contributes $540 million to local economy

Crowds flocked to the Carl Hayden Visitor Center for the Annuar Eclipse in October 2023. The visitor center connects with thousands of visitors daily.

NPS

News Release Date: September 5, 2024

Contact: Mary Plumb

PAGE, Ariz. – A new National Park Service report shows that 5.2 million visitors to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in 2023 spent $540 million in communities near the park. That spending supported 6,300 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $670 million.
 
“I’m so proud that our parks and the stories we tell make a lasting impact on more than 300 million visitors a year,” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams. “And 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.” 
 
According to Park Superintendent Michelle Kerns, “People come to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area to enjoy world class, land- and water-based recreation and end up supporting the US and local economies along the way,” said Superintendent Michelle Kerns. “We’re proud that Glen Canyon National Recreation Area supports 6,300 jobs and generates $540 million in revenue to communities near the park. This park benefits from funding through the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). These investments fund projects that protect parks and improve visitor experience, which also benefits local economies.”  
 
The National Park Service report, 2023 National Park Visitor Spending Effects, finds that 325.5 million visitors spent $26.4 billion in communities near national parks. This spending supported 415,400 jobs, provided $19.4 billion in labor income and $55.6 in economic output to the U.S. economy. The lodging sector had the highest direct contributions with $9.9 billion in economic output and 89,200 jobs. The restaurants received the next greatest direct contributions with $5.2 billion in economic output and 68,600 jobs.
 
An interactive tool is available to explore visitor spending, jobs, labor income, and total economic contribution by sector for national, state and local economies. Users can also view year-by-year trend data. The interactive tool and report are available on the NPS Social Science website.
 
To learn more about national parks in Utah and Arizona and how the National Park Service works with Utah and Arizona communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to the interactive tool and click on the “State Economies” button.