Tourism to Haleakalā National Park contributes $72.1 million to local economy

A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 791,292 visitors to Haleakalā National Park in 2023 spent $57.5 million in communities near the park. That spending supported 556 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $72.1 million.

“People come to Haleakalā National Park to take in the natural beauty and cultural significance,” said Superintendent Natalie Gates. “We are so proud that they support local economies along the way with hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in revenue for nearby communities.”

Despite this economic impact, the park saw a 27% decrease in visitors in 2023 compared to 2022, when 1,087,616 people visited, per NPS statistics. Haleakalā ranked 29th out of 63 National Parks for recreational visitors in 2023.

The National Park Service report, 2023 National Park Visitor Spending Effects, finds that 325.5 million visitors spent $26.4 billion in communities near national parks. This spending supported 415,400 jobs, provided $19.4 billion in labor income and $55.6 in economic output to the US economy. The lodging sector had the highest direct contributions with $9.9 billion in economic output and 89,200 jobs. The restaurants received the next greatest direct contributions with $5.2 billion in economic output and 68,600 jobs.

“I’m so proud that our parks and the stories we tell make a lasting impact on more than 300 million visitors a year,” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams. “And I’m just as proud to see those visitors making positive impacts of their own, by supporting local economies and jobs in every state in the country.”

An interactive tool is available to explore visitor spending, jobs, labor income, and total economic contribution by sector for national, state and local economies. Users can also view year-by-year trend data. The interactive tool and report are available on the NPS website.