Eruption curbed spending by visitors to Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park

Dangerous volcanic activity at Kilauea Volcano and the subsequent closure of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park for more than four months last year contributed to a dropoff of nearly $100 million in visitor­-related economic benefit from 2017, according to a new National Park Service report.

The report showed that 1.1 million people visited the park in 2018, spending $94.1 million in nearby communities. In 2017, more than 2 million people visited the park and spent $166 million in communities near the park.

Overall, spending from visitors to Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park in 2018 supported 1,040 jobs in the area and produced a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $123 million, a far cry from 2017 when greater spending supported 2,020 area jobs and produced a cumulative economic benefit of approximately $222.4 million.

“It’s not surprising to see a decrease in visitor spending during 2018 since most of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park was closed for 134 days due to unsafe and unpredictable volcanic activity,” said acting Superintendent Rhonda Loh in a news release. “What’s important to note is that dangerous eruptive activity has ceased and the vast majority of the park is open. Visitors are enjoying the park under clear skies free of volcanic gas and are out hiking trails and marveling at scenic vistas near the summit, on Chain of Craters Road and Mauna Loa.”

The economic data was part of an analysis of spending by visitors to national parks conducted by U.S. Geological Survey economists and the National Park Service.

Nationally, 318 million national park visitors spent $20.2 billion in communities within 60 miles of a national park, mostly on lodging and food, thereby supporting 329,000 jobs and producing a cumulative of $40.1 billion benefit to the U.S. economy.