CARLSBAD, N.M. (KRQE) – A report from the National Park Service says that over 300,000 visitors to Carlsbad Caverns brought millions into the community of Carlsbad in 2021. The report states that 349,244 visitors to the national park spend $25.1 million in the local area which supported 312 jobs, having a cumulative benefit of $27.4 million to the local economy.
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The report states the lodging sector had the biggest direct gain with $7 billion gained. The restaurants sector had the second-greatest gain with $4.2 billion.
According to a Carlsbad Caverns press release, the study was conducted by economists with the National Park Service and the U.S. Geological Survey. The report shows that more than 297 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park resulted in $20.5 billion in direct spending in those communities. The spending supported 322,600 jobs nationally, 269,900 of which were found in these gateway communities. All of this