Impacts of visitor spending on the local and Alaska economies: Katmai National Park and Preserve, 2014

Cook, Philip

Katmai National Park and Preserve hosted 30,896 recreation visits in 2014. Adjustments for visitor group size and trip length resulted in 10,860 visitor group trips to the park in 2014. Based on a 2014 visitor survey conducted June 11-September 30, 33% of these visitor groups were on day trips as part of a package tour, 60% were day trips made by visitors not on package tours, and 7% were on overnight trips to the park. Visitors reported their group’s expenditures in the park, in a mapped local region outside the park, and in the remainder of Alaska. Visitor groups spent an average of $1,160 in the park, $756 in the local region outside the park, and $4,336 in the remainder of Alaska. Total visitor spending in 2014 was $12.6 million inside the park, $8.2 million in the local region outside the park, and $47.1 million in the remainder of Alaska. Total visitor spending in the local region-inside the park plus outside the park-was $20.8 million. Total visitor spending in Alaska-inside the park plus in the local region plus in the remainder of Alaska-was $67.9 million. Only 1% of visitor groups were from the local region, and 14% were from Alaska. Ninety-one percent of non-local visitor groups indicated the park visit was the primary reason for their trip to the area. The visitor survey did not ask about the primary reason for the trip to Alaska, but this analysis assumes that the 54% of non-Alaskan visitors who spent more than half the time of their trip to Alaska at Katmai NPP were on primary purpose trips. Not counting local residents and counting only a portion of non-local visitor expenses in the region if the park visit was not the primary reason for the trip to the region yields $20.1 million in spending in the local region attributed directly to the park. Similarly, not counting Alaska residents and counting only a portion of non-Alaskan visitor expenses in Alaska if the park visit was not the primary reason for the trip to Alaska yields $47.8 million in spending in Alaska attributed to the park. The economic impact of park visitor spending was estimated by applying the spending to an input-output model of the regional economy and the Alaska economy as a whole. The local region was defined as Lake and Peninsula, Kodiak Island, Kenai Peninsula, and Bristol Bay boroughs in southern Alaska. Including direct and secondary effects, the $20.1 million in visitor spending in the local region attributed to the park generated $27.9 million in output, which supported 246 jobs. These jobs paid $7.4 million in labor income, which was part of $13.2 million in value added to the local region. Including direct and secondary effects, the $47.8 million in visitor spending in Alaska attributed to the park generated $62.5 million in output in Alaska, which supported 595 jobs. These jobs paid $17.3 million in labor income, which was part of $30.6 million in value added to the state of Alaska.

Impacts of visitor spending on the local and Alaska economies: Katmai National Park and Preserve, 2014

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