Upper Delaware tourism means jobs, money for local economy, says new report

A new National Park Service report shows that 327,000 visitors to Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River in 2023 spent $16.6 million in communities near the park. That spending supported 157 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $21 million.

“People come to the Upper Delaware River to paddle, fish, and to enjoy the countless recreational opportunities and scenic beauty along the river. In the process, visitors support local communities and their economies,” said Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River Superintendent Lindsey Kurnath. “We’re proud that Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River helps support over 150 jobs and generates over $21 million in revenue to local river communities in and around the Upper Delaware.”

Regarding the $16.6 million in visitor spending to local upper Delaware communites, the report found that 27.27% ($4.5 million) of that was spent on lodging, 22.59% ($3.7 million) was spent at local restuarants, 14.01% ($2.3 million) was spent on groceries, 7.12% ($1.2 million) was spent at area retail establishments, and 6.51% ($1.1 million) was spent at local recreation facilities. This represented a spending increase of more than $3 million over the previous year and is a record high when compared to tourism dollars spent every prior year dating back to 2012.

An interactive tool is available to explore visitor spending, jobs, labor income, and total economic contribution by sector for national, state, and local economies. Users can also view year-by-year trend data. The interactive tool and report are available at nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/vse.htm.

To learn more about national parks in New York and Pennsylvania, visit nps.gov/newyork or nps.gov/pennsylvania.