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TEXAS (KXAN) — Visitor spending to the national parks system in 2023 resulted in a $55.6 billion boost to the national economy, with guests to Texas’ national parks contributing roughly $323 million to local economies, according to a new report from the National Park Service released last week.
Nationally, the analysis found approximately 325.5 million people visited and spent money in communities near national parks last year.
“I’m so proud that our parks and the stories we tell make a lasting impact on more than 300 million visitors a year,” National Park Service Director Chuck Sams said in a release. “And I’m just as proud to see those visitors making positive impacts of their own, by supporting local economies and jobs in every state in the country.”
Here’s a look at Texas’ national parks and their economic output:
- San Antonio Missions: $95.0 million
- Big Bend: $48.5 million
- Amistad National Recreation Area: $42.3 million
- Lake Meredith: $33.1 million
- Padre Island: $27.6 million
- Guadalupe Mountains: $27.5 million
- Big Thicket: $19.4 million
- Palo Alto Battlefield: $10.7 million
- Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park: $8.0 million
- Waco Mammoth: $6.6 million
- Fort Davis: $2.7 million
- Chamizal memorial: $557,000
- Alibates Flint Quarries: $402,000
- Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River: $224,000
When comparing 2023 tourism figures, Texas saw a slight dip in tourist spending, down from $325 million in 2022. Data from 2021 found Texas national parks visitors spent $371 million on their visits, the highest figure recorded out of more than a decade’s worth of available data.
Texas is home to more than a dozen national parks, alongside historic trails that pass through the state, per the National Park Service. Earlier this year, President Joe Biden officially established the Blackwell School National Historic Site in Marfa as a national park.
More analysis on the report’s findings is available online.