GERING NEB. – A new National Park Service report shows that 189,829 visitors to Scotts Bluff and Agate Fossil Beds National Monuments in 2023 spent $12,990,000 in communities near the parks. That spending supported 171 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $15,318,000.
“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.”
“Growing up in western Nebraska I never truly understood the impact tourism has locally and the visitation that both Scotts Bluff and Agate Fossil Beds National Monuments receive from our local communities but also the number of visitors that travel from all over the United States and the world. Many of our visitors from outside the area are not coming to Scotts Bluff and Agate Fossil Beds National Monuments as a destination but are on their way to parks and attractions in the Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota, the mountains and special places of Wyoming or the front range of Colorado. However, they do stop at our national monuments and are often pleasantly surprised by what they encounter in our two 3,000-acre national monuments with the history, paleontology, wildlife and viewshed that is experienced. These visitors to western Nebraska stay in our hotels, purchase food in our restaurants, grocery stores and purchase fuel at our gas stations then go home and tell their family, friends and neighbors about our parks and other exciting and interesting attractions that are available in our local communities. This economic impact is impressive and has become a part of what makes these parks and our communities special,” said Acting Superintendent Justin Cawiezel. “We’re proud that Scotts Bluff and Agate Fossil Beds National Monuments support 171 jobs and help generate $15,318,000 in revenue to our communities near the parks.”
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 billion 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 website.
To learn more about national parks in Nebraska and how the National Park Service works with Nebraska communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to www.nps.gov/nebraska.
