Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Visitors Increasing

The number of visitors to Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park is steadily increasing and contributing more financially each year to communities near the park, said a new National Park Service report for 2013.

The report said 1,583,209 people visited the park in 2013, a 6.7% increase over 2012, and those visitors spent $124,937,400 in the area, a 10.2% increase over 2012. Similar gains were recorded in each of the past five years, the report noted.

Several factors contributed to the increases, said Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando.

“The ease of viewing the summit eruption from Kīlauea, the many free cultural and scientific programs, the re-opening of Volcano House, and the diverse ecosystem of native plants and animals that park stewards have worked hard to protect for nearly 100 years are part of what attracts people,” Orlando said in an HVNP release about the report.

“We appreciate the partnership and support of our neighbors and are glad to be able to give back by helping to sustain local communities and businesses,” she added.

Download the complete report here. It includes information for visitor spending at individual parks and by state.