For the third straight year attendance at North Carolina state parks and state recreation areas hovered at a record level with 14.2 million visits. Travelers spent an average of $23.56 per day to enjoy the parks. And the total economic impact of the state parks system is more than $400 million.
How do we know? Because a team of professors, grad students and undergrads in NC State’s Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management have been conducting surveys across the state and analyzing the collected data since last Spring. The study was funded by the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources through the Recreation Resources Service.
The big take away for NC’s citizens and leaders?
Our state parks make a strong contribution to North Carolina’s tourism economy, as well as the economies of the local communities in which they’re located!