The Texas State Park system’s more than 90 sites have a significant economic impact on the state’s economy, generating $774 million in retail sales annually, contributing $351 million in economic benefits and creating 5,800 jobs statewide.
Those were just part of the findings of a recent Texas A&M University study shared recently with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission.
The commission was briefed on the results of a survey of park visitors and their spending habits conducted between March and June of this year by a team led by Dr. John Crompton, A&M professor in the Recreation, Parks and Tourism Sciences Department.
According to Crompton, Texas state parks not only provide conservation, recreational and health benefits, but also greatly contribute to the economies of communities throughout Texas, far exceeding the state’s expenditures to operate these sites.
“The take-away message from this study,” Crompton said, “should be that the state park system is an important contributor to the Texas economy, particularly in rural areas and that the state’s net investment in parks is returned many times over as visitors travel to enjoy the outdoors and leave their dollars behind.”
To generate data for the study, almost 14,000 visitors at 30 state parks were polled between March and June of 2014 about their spending on fees, groceries, restaurant meals and equipment during their travel to the park and in close proximity to the park.
The results were then extrapolated to apply to 60 additional parks using strict study methodology.
The results show that the purchases made by park visitors result in greater wealth and employment in communities located near state parks. For example, spending by Bastrop State Park visitors added nearly $1.7 million to the Bastrop County economy and led to the creation of 35.6 jobs.
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