Tennessee State Parks had an economic impact of $2.1 billion in Fiscal Year 2021, as the parks posted 38.5 million visits, according to a report done for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC).
“Our parks continue to provide an outstanding experience for visitors and a significant financial boost for our state and local communities,” TDEC Commissioner David Salyers said. “Tennesseans enjoy one of the best parks systems in the country, and these numbers reflect the impressive performance of our parks across the state.”
The figures for FY21 show a steady climb in recent years in economic impact and number of visits. Cumulatively in fiscal years 2019-21, Tennessee State Parks had an economic impact of $4.3 billion, with 109.7 million visits. The figures reflect parks activity through lodging, shopping and recreation spending. Tennessee State Parks is one of only seven state parks systems in the country that do not charge admission fees.
The economic impact of Tennessee State Parks in FY2020 was $1.84 billion with 34.7 million park visits.
