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Yellowstone Visitors Spent Nearly $500M In Neighboring Towns Last Year

Yellowstone visitors line up at the park's north entrance outside of Gardiner, Montana.
Yellowstone National Park (PD)
Yellowstone visitors line up at the park's north entrance outside of Gardiner, MT.

BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) — A recent report says visitors to Yellowstone National Park spent nearly $500 million last year in neighboring towns to the wilderness recreation area.

The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports a visitor spending analysis by economists with the National Park Service and the U.S. Geological Survey says the figure was about $499 million, a fraction of the $18.2 billion spent nationwide near national parks in 2017.

The report estimates the $499 million supported about 7,350 jobs in towns on the park's outskirts in Montana and Wyoming. The figure marks a decline from 2016, when the agency estimated the park's visitor spending at $524 million.

The report says Montana received $556 million in visitor spending in 2017, good enough for 12th in the nation. That is an increase from 2016, when visitor spending was estimated at $548 million.
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Information from: Bozeman Daily Chronicle, http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com
 

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