Cumberland Island National Seashore News Release: Visitors, Money, and Jobs for the Local Economy

March 9, 2012
For Immediate Release
Maggie Tyler 912-882-4336 ext. 257
Cumberland Island National Seashore = Visitors, Money and Jobs for Local Economy

St Marys, GA – A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 91,996 visitors to both the Cumberland Island National Seashore mainland and island visitor facilities in 2010 spent just over $6.1 million dollars in the local area including St Marys, Kingsland and Camden County. That spending supported 97 jobs in the local area.

"The people and the business owners in our gateway communities near Cumberland Island National Seashore have always known the economic value,"
said park superintendent Fred Boyles.

Most of the spending/jobs are related to lodging, food, and beverage service (52 percent) followed by other retail (29 percent), entertainment/amusements (10 percent), gas and local transportation (7
percent) and groceries (2 percent).

The figures are based on $12 billion of direct spending by 281 million visitors in 394 national parks and nearby communities and are included in an annual, peer-reviewed, visitor spending analysis conducted by Dr. Daniel Stynes of Michigan State University for the National Park Service.

Across the U.S, local visitor spending added a total of $31 billion to the national economy and supported more than 258,000 jobs, an increase of $689 million and 11,500 jobs over 2009.

To download the report visit
http://www.nature.nps.gov/socialscience/products.cfm#MGM and click on Economic Benefits to Local Communities from National Park Visitation and Payroll, 2010.

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

Cumberland Island is the largest barrier island off the coast of Georgia, encompassing more than 36,000 acres of maritime forests, salt marsh and beaches. The island is also home to over 9,800 acres of Congressionally designated Wilderness. The island's natural and cultural resources provide a rich and diverse habitat for wildlife and offer a glimpse into the long history of coastal Georgia. The Seashore is accessible by foot-only, passenger ferry from the historic community of St. Marys, Georgia and is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

For more information on how the NPS is working in Georgia, go to www.nps.gov/Georgia

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