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Glacier's economic impact: $193.3 million

The Daily Inter Lake | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 9 years, 9 months AGO
by The Daily Inter Lake
| April 23, 2015 9:00 PM

Glacier National Park generated an estimated $193.3 million for gateway communities last year, supporting 3,400 jobs, according to a report released Thursday by the National Park Service.

The largest chunk of that spending came in the form of hotel stays, for which park-goers paid $63.5 million. The next largest expense was restaurant spending of $35.3 million.

Retail, transportation and gas spending all took in just below $20 million. The study defines “gateway communities” as the 11 counties within 60 miles of the park’s borders.

Secondary effects of that increased employment and indirect spending resulted in an estimated $260.5 million in total economic output.

Employment generated by tourism in the park was concentrated mainly in the amenities industries, with 838 jobs in hotels and 751 in restaurants.

2014 had an increase in tourist dollars to the region compared with the past two years. Visitors spent an estimated $178.8 million in 2013 and $172.4 million in 2012.

The report also estimates that National Park System locations throughout Montana generated $432.1 million in visitor spending and brought in 4,590,395 visitors. More than half of those were in Glacier, which set a record in 2014 with 2,337,719 visitors.

Montana is home to five national parks: Glacier, Yellowstone, Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, the Grant-Kohrs Ranch Historic Site and Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area.

National parks across the country had a banner year in 2014, with a record 292.8 million park visitors generating an estimated $29.7 billion nationwide. A press release from the federal agency stated that for each dollar invested in the national parks, an average of $10 of economic activity is generated.

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