Tourism to Southeast Utah Group parks contributes $447M to local economy

Contact: SEUG Public Affairs, 435-260-0713

MOAB, UTAH-A new National Park Service report shows that nearly 2.4 million visitors to parks of the Southeast Utah Group in 2024 spent $421.9M in communities near the park. That spending had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $447 million.

"People come to this area to see Delicate Arch or Canyonlands' outstanding viewpoints, and along the way they support local and national economies," said Superintendent Lena Pace. "We're proud that these parks and monuments generate nearly $450 million in revenue for our gateway communities."

Park-specific metrics include:

• Arches National Park's nearly 1.5 million visitors in 2024 spent an estimated $288 million in local gateway communities, which supported approximately 2,500 jobs, $94.5 million in labor income, $183 million in value added, and $312 million in economic output overall.

• Canyonlands National Park's over 818 thousand visitors in 2024 spent an estimated $126 million, which supported around 1,010 jobs, $38.2 million in labor income, $74.3 million in value added, and $126 million in economic output for gateway communities.

• Hovenweep National Monument's over 31 thousand visitors in 2024 spent an estimated $2.4 million, which supported approximately 22 jobs, $838 thousand in labor income, $1.6 million in value added, and $2.8 million in economic output.

• Natural Bridges National Monument's nearly 76 thousand visitors in 2024 spent an estimated $5.5 million, which supported around 49 jobs, $2.0 million in labor income, $3.7 million in value added, and $6.2 million in economic output.

The National Park Service report, 2024 National Park Visitor Spending Effects, finds that visitors spent $29 billion in communities near national parks. This spending provided $18.8 billion in labor income and $56.3 in economic output to the U.S. economy. The lodging sector had the highest direct contributions with $11.1 billion in economic output. Restaurants received the next greatest direct contributions with $5.7 billion in economic output.

An interactive tool is available to explore visitor spending, 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 Utah and how the National Park Service works with Utah communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to www.nps.gov/Utah.