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National Parks In Idaho Bring In Tourism Dollars

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Craters of the Moon

Tuesday we told you how much money national parks bring into the Mountain West. Now, we talk about Idaho.

In the Mountain West, visitors to national parks spent over $3.5 billion last year. That’s according to a new report from the National Park Service.

In Idaho, the state’s five national parks brought in 746,000 visitors. Those people spent $37.4 million in 2018, supporting 569 jobs outside of the parks. The report says the cumulative benefit to the state was $48.5 million.

Idaho’s five parks are City of Rocks, Craters of the Moon, Hagerman Fossil Beds, the Minidoka Historic Site and the Nez Perce National Historical Park.

According to the report, visitors spend the most money on lodging. Food is a close second. Tourism nationwide returns $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service.

Find Samantha Wright on Twitter @samwrightradio

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As Senior Producer of our live daily talk show Idaho Matters, I’m able to indulge my love of storytelling and share all kinds of information (I was probably a Town Crier in a past life). My career has allowed me to learn something new everyday and to share that knowledge with all my friends on the radio.

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