Yellowstone Visitation Sets Records
Written by Andrew-Rossi on April 27, 2017
Record numbers of visitors passed through the gates at Yellowstone National Park last year, and this year could bring even more to Wyoming.
A new National Park Service report shows that a record 4.25 million people visited the Park in 2016. These visitors spent $524.3 million in communities near the park, which supported 8,156 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $680.3 million.
Claudia Wade with the Park County Travel Council says this coming year should also be a good one, particularly because of the eclipse that is projected to bring thousands of people to the area. Despite the fact that Cody is not in the path of totality of the eclipse, Wade expects that the overflow effect will positively impact lodging and visitation to Cody and Yellowstone in August.
Wade added that this coming summer Cody will host participants from the Walkfest, a convention of walkers that will be here June 10 and 11 as part of a larger convention taking place in Billings. Additionally, a Veteran’s Motor Car Club will be coming in August, in which the veterans are the cars, not the people; and Wade also expects that the centennial celebration at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West will also draw more visitors.