Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/572452
B M & T ••• May/June 2015 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 38 T R AV E L DATA TOP 25 MARKETS: RECORD MIAMI FIRST QUARTER 2015 FEDERAL REPORT TOUTS $30 BILLION DIRECT ECONOMIC IMPACT OF NATIONAL PARKS, UNDERSCORES BENEFIT OF INCREASED FUNDING National Parks Are Proven Economic Engines; Congress Must End Sequester and Pass Pro-Park Transportation Bill T he National Park Service recently released its 2014 National Park Visitor Spending Effects report. The report demonstrates that our National Park System is a powerful economic engine responsi- ble for annually supporting 277,000 private-sector jobs and generating $15.7 billion for local and $29.7 billion for our national economies, a national increase of nearly $3 billion compared to 2013. The impact they have underscores the need for Congress to end the sequester and support the National Park Service's Centennial budget proposal, and increase park infrastructure funding under the federal transportation bill. "It's clear that when our national parks are a priority, our economy benefits," said National Parks Conservation Association's Senior Vice President for Government Affairs Craig Obey. "The $3 billion increase in economic impact over 2013 is because more people visited parks, parks and communities didn't suffer the negative impact of a federal govern- ment shutdown, and the sequester cuts to parks were temporarily addressed. "We had a record-breaking number of visits to national parks in 2014, and even more visits are likely with the approaching park centennial in 2016. This is the time to permanently end the sequester, reverse annual funding shortfalls, and fix park infrastructure with a pro-park transporta- tion bill." BACKGROUND: Not only are America's national parks some of the most awe-inspiring places in the world, they are also huge economic generators for the local communities that surround them. For every dollar invested in national parks, $10 is returned to the American economy through visitor spending, travel and tourism, and construction jobs. In 2013, our national parks were visited by more than 273 million peo- ple who supported nearly $27 billion in economic activity and over 237,000 private-sector jobs. In 2014, there were 292.8 million visits to national parks, breaking the previous record of 287.2 million visits set in 1987. Earlier this year, the National Parks Conservation Association hailed the President's National Park Service Centennial budget request for seeking to rectify years of chronic underfunding with a sig- nificant investment in park operation s and more than $1 billion to begin to address the National Park System's $11.49 billion mainte- nance backlog. More than half of the total backlog consists of trans- portation related needs. In 2012, a poll conducted by Hart Research Associates and North Star Opinion Research showed that 9 out of 10 likely voters — Republicans, Democrats, and Independents — agree that funding for our national parks shou ld be held stable or increased.