PORT ANGELES — Olympic National Park saw 3.2 million visitors in 2014 — a 10 percent increase over 2013 — who contributed $2.6 million to the area economy, according to a National Park Service report released Thursday.
Spending by park visitors supported 3,592 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit of $365,559,900 to the economy, the report said.
The study estimated that the 3,243,872 visitors spent $263,953,300 within 60 miles of the park boundaries, or about $81 each, in 2014.
The increase in visitation was the second largest since 2002 and 10 percent over 2013’s total of 2.9 million.
The park’s figure for visitation in 2013 is different than the 3.1 million mentioned in the report, Barb Maynes, Olympic National Park spokeswoman, said Thursday.
She attributed the difference to a typographical error that occurred when the Park Service computed total visitors for 2013.
The total also is 7 percent higher than the increase registered at all 370 national parks, preserves and other areas managed by the Park Service that were reviewed for the study.
“What we are seeing is increased public awareness of the Olympic Peninsula,” Maynes said.
Park Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum also lauded the report.
“We are delighted to share the story of this place and the experiences it provides,” she said in a statement.
“National park tourism is a significant driver in the national economy, returning $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service, and it’s a big factor in our local economy as well.”
Visitation peaked in the summer.
“August 2014 was our busiest month ever in the history of the park,” Maynes said.
“Last year and this year to date has been quite a bit busier than we’ve seen in previous recent years.”
Visitation was computed by using traffic counters to compute the number of vehicles and multipliers such as 2.6 people per vehicle to determine the total visitors.
Traffic counters are on such roadways as U.S. Highway 101 and so count each vehicle that travels the road.
Also considered were the number of visitors at visitor centers and ranger stations, overnight camping and lodge numbers, Maynes said.
According to the 2014 report, most park visitor spending was for lodging (30.6 percent), followed by food and beverages (20.3 percent), gas and oil (11.9 percent), admissions and fees (10.2 percent), and souvenirs and other expenses (9.9 percent).
Olympic was 10th in visitor spending and 25th in visitation nationally, Craig Dalby, spokesman for the National Park Service Pacific Northwest Region, said Thursday
Dalby said Olympic was the sixth most-visited park in the nation behind, in order, Great Smoky Mountain, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone and Rocky Mountain national parks.
Nationally, the report shows $15.7 billion of direct spending by 292.8 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park, Maynes said.
That spending supported 277,000 jobs nationally, 235,600 of which were in “gateway communities” such as the North Olympic Peninsula.
The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $29.7 billion, the report said.
For the overall report, go to http://tinyurl.com/pdn-npsreport2014.
For more data on Olympic National Park, go to http://tinyurl.com/PDN-Olympicpark2014.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5060, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
