Tourism at Chattahoochee River, Kennesaw Mountain spurs $420M in local economy

Visitors and jobs near the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area and Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park have stimulated more than $420 million in the local economy.

More than 3.26 million guests visited the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area in 2021, spending more than $160 million in communities near the park — more than any other national park in the state, according to a new National Park Service report. That same year, 1.8 million park visitors spent an estimated $117 million in local gateway regions while visiting Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park.

This spending brought a total of $185 million in economic output from Kennesaw Mountain and more than $235 million in economic output from the Chattahoochee River NRA into the surrounding community.

Together, visitor spending from these parks has supported 3,888 jobs and $145.4 million in labor income in the local area, according to the report.

Kennesaw Mountain Park Superintendent Patrick Gamman was preparing for the park’s 158th battle anniversary on Saturday morning.

“I’ve been a park ranger since 1990 and all national parks have an impact on local communities and it’s a subtle thing,” he said. “Is it going to be like a lot of out of town folks coming in as a destination? You get that especially out west. Or is it local folks who keep coming back to the same park over and over? You get that in a lot of urban parks, much like the ones here. Don’t forget that there are actually three national park sites in Atlanta, the other one is Martin Luther King.”

Gamman said some visitors do come to Kennesaw Mountain NBP as a destination, which creates an impact on hotels, gas, groceries and other parts of the local economy. But the park also sees a lot of guests from Atlanta who hike the 22 miles of trails at the park and need recreation equipment, such as running shoes, hiking poles, water bottles, hats and more.

“Every park is subtle in the ways that they impact the economy around them and as a national park site we do have that impact as well,” he said. “I think it’s a win for any community that’s around a national park.”

Economic impact reports help the American public know how beneficial national parks are to their local communities, Gamman said. For Kennesaw Mountain NBP, it’s a fun, historic place of contemplation about past wars and recreation, he said.

“We want the local communities to thrive, that’s what we hope,” he said. “We want you to be happy that there’s a national park in your backyard.”

In 2021, 6.3 million park visitors spent an estimated $362 million in local gateway regions while visiting national parks in Georgia. These expenditures supported a total of 5,200 jobs, $182 million in labor income, $306 million in value added and $542 million in economic output in the Georgia economy.

“National parks are a vital part of our nation’s economy. Every dollar invested in national parks by American taxpayers is returned tenfold to the American economy,” Ann Honious, superintendent of the Chattahoochee River NRA, said in a news release. “Here at Chattahoochee River NRA, I am pleased to see the positive economic impact that recreation in our park has on the local Atlanta-area community. Whether you’re looking to float the river or hike on our more than 65 miles of trail, our rangers are excited to share the natural and cultural history of the Chattahoochee River corridor and all the recreational opportunities it provides.”

Trends from the report indicate this is the highest spending within the Chattahoochee River NRA reported by the NPS in the last decade. Comparatively, the visitors spent $138 million in the community in 2020, a significant dip from $152 million in spending in 2019. The report also indicates 2021 was the best year for jobs supported in the area in the last ten years.

Meanwhile, visitor spending from Kennesaw Mountain is down from $141 million in 2020 and $156 million in 2019.

Local lodging had the highest direct effects in economic benefits, raking in $43.8 million from the Chattahoochee River NRA and $36 million from Kennesaw Mountain NBP. Businesses in the local restaurant sector had the second greatest effects, with $62.6 million in total economic output from the parks. Gas stations came in third, collecting $28.5 million from the Chattahoochee River NRA and $18.5 million from Kennesaw Mountain NBP.

The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by economists at the NPS and the U.S. Geological Survey. More than 297 million park visitors spent $20.5 billion in communities within 60 miles of a national park, according to the report. This spending supported 322,600 jobs nationally; 269,900 of those jobs are found in these gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $42.5 billion, according to a news release.