National Parks Have Big Local Impact

A new National Park Service report shows that the two parks in the Fort Sumter Group — Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor and Charles Pinckney National Historic Site in Mount Pleasant — had nearly 1 million visitors in 2011 and the park's combined economic impact was substantial.

By the numbers

• 903,137: Number of visitors to the two parks;
• $24 million: Amount spent by park guests in surrounding commuities;
• 312: The number of jobs in the Charleston area supported by park travel;
• $13 billion: Amount spent by park guests in communities across the country;
• $30 billion: National economic impact.

“The Fort Sumter Group parks are wonderful places to learn about America’s story,” said park superintendent Timothy Stone. “We attract visitors from across the U.S. and around the world who come to the South Carolina Lowcountry to experience the parks and then spend time and money enjoying the services provided by our neighboring communities and getting to know this amazing part of the country."

The information on Fort Sumter Group is part of a peer-reviewed spending analysis of national park visitors across the country conducted by Michigan State University for the National Park Service.

To download the report visit www.nature.nps.gov/socialscience/products.cfm#MGM and click on Economic Benefits to Local Communities from National Park Visitation, 2011.

The report includes information for visitor spending at individual parks and by state.

To learn more about national parks in South Carolina and how the National Park Service works with communities to preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide local recreation opportunities, go to www.nps.gov/sc.