Acadia National Park tourism added $479M to Maine economy in 2022, down slightly

Courtesy / Kent Miller, National Park Service The summit of Cadillac Mountain, one of Acadia’s most popular attractions, overlooks craggy rocks and a body of water.

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By Laurie Schreiber

A new National Park Service report estimates that the 3.97 million visits to Acadia National Park in 2022 generated $479 million in spending to the local economy.

That spending also supported nearly 6,700 jobs in the area and had a cumulative economic benefit of $691 million.

“People come to Acadia National Park to enjoy and learn about the park’s incredible landscape and history dating back to ancestral home of the Wabanaki people,” said Superintendent Kevin Schneider. “We recognize that tourism to Acadia is a critical driver to the local economy, bringing nearly 6,700 jobs and $479 million in revenue to communities within 60 miles of the park.”

In 2021, Acadia National Park had 4.1 million visitors who spent an estimated $486 million and supported over 6,800 jobs and $702 million in economic output in the local region.

The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by economists at the National Park Service.

Nationally, the report shows there was $23.9 billion of direct spending by nearly 312 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported 378,400 jobs; 314,600 of those jobs are found in these gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $50.3 billion.

“The impact of tourism to national parks is undeniable: bringing jobs and revenue to communities in every state in the country and making national parks an essential driver to the national economy,” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams.

As for the economics of visitor spending, the lodging sector had the highest direct effects, with $9 billion in economic output nationally. The restaurants sector had the second greatest effects, with $4.6 billion in economic output nationally.