Oct. 14, 2004 – While many people have said for years that the V.I. National Park is the engine that runs St. John's economy, the Friends of the Park conducted a study to find out for sure.
"We found that by asking visitors their primary reason for coming to the area, the majority answered they were coming to visit the park," Emily Burton, Friends program director, said.
The study is entitled "Impact of Visitor Spending and Park Operations on the Regional Economy: Virgin Islands National Park."
The details will be released at a presentation on Oct. 21. The Friends conducted the study of 260 visitors to the park in St. John. Burton said the survey was conducted by experienced volunteers under the guidance of a statistician.
"They went off to different locations within the park and spoke to visitors," Burton said.
The visitors were asked how much they spent on accommodations, transportation, food, beverages, shopping and other items.
For more information, call Burton at 779-4940.
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