HOPKINS, S.C. — New numbers show tourism at the Congaree National Park brought in over $14 million to the local economy, creating more than 170 new jobs.
“Last year, we alone had 250,000, which seems like a drop in the bucket, but that's an increase for us," Jon Manchester said. "We've been over 200,000 for the past three years, and we're on track for another 200,000 plus visitors this year.”
Manchester is the chief of visitor services at Congaree National Park. He said the park has seen an increase in visitors since the pandemic.
“We went from maybe a 150,000 pre-pandemic to over 200,000 from 2021 up to 2023, so a lot of people coming in that we didn't see before,” he said.
According to a recent report from the National Park Service, the park received more than 250,000 visitors, generating more than $14 million. The report's results are based on visitor surveys done at the park.
“Tourism as a whole has about a $29 billion impact on South Carolina's economy and employs one in 10 people, and it's really just an important part of our economy overall,” Sam Queen said.
Queen with the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism said visitors greatly contribute to the local economy.
“We know that when visitors come, they're not just visiting these specific parks, but they're also going out in the community, and they're spending money either at hotels or restaurants or even just the grocery store at gas station, which has a really big impact overall on the communities that they're in," she said.
Queen said this is crucial for rural areas of the state.
“One thing that's really important to note too about these parks is a lot of times they're in really rural areas of the state, so otherwise," she said. "Maybe there's not a tourism attraction in that area, so that's something really special that parks bring."
