Visitors down, spending up at Independence Park

Visitors to Independence National Historical Park in 2013 spent about $196 million, an increase of about $1 million over the previous year, despite a slight drop in park attendance, according to a report released by the National Park Service.

In 2013, spending by 3,560,637 visitors supported 2,730 jobs in the Philadelphia area, the report said. In 2012, the park attracted 3,615,698 visitors supporting 2,736 jobs.

Park sites include the Independence Mall historic district, the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site on North Seventh Street, the Germantown White House, and the Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial on Pine Street.

Mayor Nutter noted the park's role, saying visitors "infuse millions of dollars into our economy [and] they help support local job growth in our robust hospitality and tourism industry."

B.J. Dunn, acting park superintendent, said "national park tourism is a significant driver in the national economy, returning $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service, and it's a big factor in our local economy as well."

The study found that the 2013 figures were down slightly for parks nationally because of a 16-day government shutdown in October 2013.

The analysis, conducted by economists from the U.S. Geological Survey for the park service, showed $14.6 billion of direct spending by 273.6 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park in 2013. The spending supported more than 237,000 jobs nationally, and had a cumulative impact of $26.5 billion on the U.S. economy, it said.

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