Generating revenue for California | Cal Parks

 

State parks attract an average of 81 million visitors per year, generating over $6.8 billion dollars in tourist spending and millions of dollars in revenue for local governments.

According to a study from 2006-2008, state parks generate over two dollars in state and local government revenues (from fees, income taxes, lodging, and sales taxes) for each dollar spent on operations.

  • On average 81 million visitor days per year. Collectively, these visitors spend an average of $6.8 billion per year in park-related expenditures.
  • The study found that increased tourism from parks also supports millions of dollars in sales and use tax revenues for local governments.

For scale, consider that the economic impact of California’s national parks, is roughly $2.3B and supports 24,185 jobs. Visits to local and regional parks generated and estimated $10 billion in total sales across California and supported an estimated 87,000 jobs.

BY THE NUMBERS

81 million

visitor days per year.

$6.8 billion

dollars in tourist spending.