SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A report released Wednesday by the National Park Service found that more than 810,000 visitors to Cabrillo National Monument last year spent more than $54.3 million in the areas near the park.
According to the NPS, the local spending helped support 678 jobs and had a cumulative effect of $76.2 million in San Diego.
"People come to Cabrillo National Monument to enjoy the view, learn something new, or hike one of our many trails, and end up supporting the US and local economies along the way," Cabrillo Superintendent Chris Rodriguez said. "We're proud that Cabrillo National Monument supports jobs and generates economic benefit to communities near the park."
The 2023 National Park Visitor Spending Effects report traces the economic impact of the NPS system on nearby communities. In total, 325.5 million visitors spent $26.4 billion in communities near national parks.
"I'm so proud that our parks and the stories we tell make a lasting impact on more than 300 million visitors a year," NPS Director Chuck Sams said. "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."
Nationally, the parks-related spending supported 415,400 jobs, $19.4 billion in income and $55.6 billion in economic output, the NPS report claims. Of this impact, lodging represented the highest direct contributions with $9.9 billion and 89,200 jobs, with restaurants following with $5.2 billion in economic output and 68,600 jobs.
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