By Pat Jenkins The Dispatch Nearly 1.3 million visitors to Mount Rainier National Park in 2014 spent $45.5 million in nearby communities and had a net impact on the local economy of approximately $57 millon, according to the National Park Service.-á In a report released May 1 for the most recent year that economic statistics were compiled, the parks agency said spending in relation to recreation at Mount Rainier supported approximately 595-á jobs in the local area. That didn't include a combined 290 permanent and seasonal employees of the park and another 450 to 500 commercial concessions workers in or near the park, officials said. Economic prospects related to the park in 2015 are promising so far. Due to warmer and drier-than-normal weather in the first quarter of this year, visitation to the park is 50 percent higher than the same period in 2014, officials noted. The park "is a touchstone for residents and visitors in the Pacific Northwest and connects people to the land, as it has for centuries,GÇ¥ said Tracy Swartout, the park's deputy superintendent. "The mountain attracts visitors from across the U.S. and around the world. While their destination may be the national park, they also enjoy connecting with our local communities, such as Greenwater, Enumclaw, Packwood and Ashford, as well as other public lands and destinations along the Chinook and Cayuse Scenic Byways. These local communities are also where many of our dedicated park employees and their families live.GÇ¥ In some other recent years, visitor spending connected to Mount Rainier has been in the $36 million range. In an effort aimed at helping the local economy cash in on the mountain's lure, representatives of the town of Eatonville, Nisqually Tribe, Pierce County, the national park and the state have been meeting for discussions of tourism and recreation promotion. National park tourism is a significant economic driver nationally, returning $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service, officials said. Visitor fees at the park increased May 22 as part of the National Park Services' effort to increase revenue nationwide for park projects. The recent economic information for Mount Rainier National Park is part of a peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis conducted by U.S. Geological Survey economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas and Christopher Huber and National Park Service economist Lynne Koontz.-áFrom a nationwide perspective, their report shows $15.7 billion of direct spending by 292.8 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. The spending supported 277,000 jobs nationally; 235,600 of those jobs are found in these gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $29.7 billion. Park visitors spent most of their moey for lodging (31 percent), followed by food and beverages (20 percent), gas and oil (12 percent), admissions and fees (10 percent), and miscellaneous expenses such as souvenirs (10).
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