Tourism to the Blue Ridge Parkway creates $1.3 billion in economic benefits
HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) – A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 14.1 million visitors to the Blue Ridge Parkway in 2020 spent $1.1 billion in communities near the park. That spending supported 15.5 thousand jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $1.3 billion.
“The Blue Ridge Parkway was built in part to support the economic vitality of the region it passes through in North Carolina and Virginia. The annual visitor spending report reminds us all of the important partnership between the park and local communities along the route to provide quality visitor experiences both on and off the Parkway,” said Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Tracy Swartout. “Having just embarked on the 2021 visitor season, we expect another year of high visitation. We encourage visitors to plan ahead for all the Parkway and its neighboring communities have to offer.”
The peer-reviewed visitor spending…
