MA National Parks Visitors Spent $828M In 2022: Here's How And Where

MASSACHUSETTS — National Parks in Massachusetts are a major economic engine in local economies across the state, with visitors accounting for hundreds of millions of dollars in spending in 2022, according to a recent report from the National Park Service.

The Visitor Spending Effect report is an annual study from the NPS and U.S. Geological Survey that studies how the over 300 million visitors to National Parks spend their money in local communities on their trips.

Roughly 312 million people visited national parks across the country in 2022, spending an estimated $23.9 billion in gateway communities near those parks. A gateway region is defined as a place within 60 miles of the park.

Visitor spending in Massachusetts was the 11th highest in the country, according to the study, topping popular National Park hubs like Colorado and Montana.

The report found that, in 2022, 8.2 million Massachusetts park visitors spent an estimated $828 million in local gateway regions while visiting parks in the state. These expenditures supported over 10,000 jobs, $521 million in labor income and $1.3 billion in economic output in the Massachusetts economy.

The bulk of the spending was done on lodging — $386 million — and at restaurants, accounting for $176 million, according to the NPS.

Perhaps a signal of a growing trend for yearly travel, total visitor spending jumped by over $100 million from 2021, nearly returning to pre-COVID levels. In fact, spending in gateway regions hit a boom in 2018 and 2019, topping the $800 million mark consecutively in those years after topping out in the mid-$500 million range since 2012.

The pandemic brought an expected dip, with visitors spending only $628 million in 2020. That number jumped nearly $100 million in 2021, but 2022 marks the first time spending returned to the pre-COVID spike.

That jump can largely be credited to one national park in Massachusetts.

Cape Cod National Seashore Tops Visitor Spending List

Among the Bay State's 16 national parks, the clear top dog when it comes to visitor spending is the Cape Cod National Seashore.

NPS officials found that, in 2022, 4 million visitors to the seashore spent an estimated $548 million in local gateway regions while on their trip.

The report found that this revenue supported 6,680 jobs, $276 million in labor income, $450 million in value-added and $750 million in economic output in local gateway economies surrounding Cape Cod National Seashore.

Visitor spending rose by $1 million from 2021 to 2022. Both years saw a big rise from the COVID-affected 2020, with $45 million more in visitor spending from 2020 to 2022.

More than half of the money spent by visitors — $300 million — was on lodging, the report said, with the second biggest chunk of money coming from $111 million spent at restaurants.

Groceries, retail, gas and recreation activities also saw visitors spend over $20 million, the report said.

The Cape Cod National Seashore has been consistent in how many people visit each year, with the number standing at roughly 4 million since 2018. A peak year in 1990 saw nearly 5.5 million people visit, according to NPS records.

To view data from the report, click here.