Alaskans benefit from Denali Tourism Dollars

Grizzly bear in Denali National Park (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A new National Park Service report shows that the more than 530,000 visitors who came to Denali National Park and Preserve in 2014 spent $5.24 million in communities near the park. That spending supported almost 7,000 jobs in the local area (includes those for the 300-plus employees of the park’s largest concessionaire) and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $7.48 million.

“Denali National Park is a world-class destination that has been welcoming visitors from Alaska, the rest of the United States, and from all over the globe for nearly a century,” said Park Superintendent Don Striker. “Even though our main season is relatively short, visitor spending on lodging, camping, meals, guided recreational activities and other items plays a significant role in supporting the local and state economies, as the majority of our visitors also travel to other sites within the state.”

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