California state parks: economic impact of visitor expenditures

The California state parks system provides exceptional outdoor recreational opportunities and unique educational experiences while preserving California's diverse natural environment and cultural heritage. In light of the current discussion of uncertain funding allocation, increases in user fees and a reduction of services, a comprehensive overview of visitor spending patterns will inform public policy discussions and decisions for short and long term planning of the state park system. This study describes in detail state park visitors' expenditures and the factors that influence park-related expenditures. The data comes from the 2007-2009 Visitor Survey Report commissioned by the California Department of Parks and Recreation. Starting in December 2007 and ending in February 2009, over 9,600 park users from 26 park sites were interviewed. The findings show that state parks generate a considerable amount of economic activity. Visitors spend on average $80.85 per visit, including $31.32 within a 25 mile radius of the park and $49.53 outside the 25 miles radius. Extrapolating from the 26 studied parks to the entire 279 park units statewide, state park visitors annually spend an estimated $6.9 billion.