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Study shows Kartchner Caverns' impact on county's economy
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| Dazzling: While the number of visitors continues to decline at Kartchner Caverns State Park, the local attraction offers breathtaking views of a live cavern. (Thelma Grimes/Photo.) |
Thelma Grimes/San Pedro Valley News-Sun
A study conducted by Northern Arizona University showed that Kartchner Caverns State Park on State Route 90 near Benson continues to see a decline in visitors.
The Cochise College Center for Economic Research broke down the study last week, looking at the economic impact of state parks on the county economy. Besides Kartchner Caverns, the county also has one other state park, Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park. According to the study by the Arizona Hospitality Research and Resource Center at Northern Arizona University (NAU), the two parks have a combined annual economic impact on Cochise County of nearly $20 million. Looking at data from 2007, visitors to the two parks combined are responsible for nearly 300 jobs in the county and generate more than $1.5 million annually in state and local government tax revenue. When Kartchner, one of the world's only living caves, first opened in 2001. City, county and state officials were hopeful that it would kick start growth in Benson. To some degree the prediction was correct, as numerous housing developments have been built over the last five years, and commercial giant Wal-Mart opened about two years ago.
The NAU study analyzed the impact of the park on direct expenditures by visitors, as well as the indirect and induced impacts that occur when the state parks, and local businesses that receive money from park visitors, spend money in the local economy on goods and services. This includes spending by park employees and employees of other firms that receive money from visitors.
Kartchner Caverns is the fourth largest of 27 state parks in Arizona in terms of the number of visitors, behind Lake Havasu in Mohave County, Slide Rock in Coconino County, and Patagonia Lake in Santa Cruz County.
Kartchner Caverns had 155,909 visitors in fiscal year 2007, down 21.7 percent from 2001. However, officials said this is not uncommon, as there has been a decline in visitors to many of state parks since 2001. Sixteen of the 26 parks that were open both in 2001 and 2007 had a drop in visitors.
Kartchner is also unique because is it not open year round. The living cave is a maternity ward to bats flying in from Mexico to have their babies.
The Big Room is closed for the summer starting April 15, because the cave bats return and roost there until mid-October. During the summer months, the cave's Big Room serves as a nursery for around 1,000 female cave bats, known as the Myotis velifer.
Pregnant females return to Kartchner Caverns around the end of April, where they give birth to a single pup in late June. Female bats and their offspring will leave in mid-September, to begin their migration to their winter hibernation roost.
While the Big Room is open to visitors during the winter, the Rotunda room, another entrance to the cave located at the base of the Whetstone Mountains is open year-round.
Visitors touring Kartchner Caverns spent more than $9.6 million directly in the Cochise County economy in 2007.
The total direct, indirect, and induced economic impact of Kartchner Caverns in 2007 was $12.3 million in income, 188 jobs, and $1.7 million in state and local tax revenue, according to the study.
The largest share of direct expenditures by visitors to Kartchner Caverns was for in-park expenses including gift shop purchases. In-park expenditures accounted for 30 percent of all direct expenditures. The second largest category was food and beverages outside the park, which accounted for 18 percent of total direct expenditures. This was followed by retail shopping at 13 percent and personal auto expenditures, such as gas, oil, repairs and park fees, accounted for 11 percent.
Admission fees were the fifth largest category of expenditures, accounting for 8 percent of the total. Other categories included camping, groceries, recreation equipment supplies, lodging, tourist services, and other expenses, which accounted for the remainder of direct expenditures by visitors.
Tombstone Courthouse is the 19th largest of 27 state parks in Arizona measured by the number of visitors in 2007. According to the NAU study, the Tombstone Courthouse had 52,989 visitors in 2007, down 28.5 percent from 2001.
In addition to the two state parks, Cochise County is also home to three national parks: Chiricahua National Monument, Coronado National Memorial, and Fort Bowie National Historic Site.
The impact of the national parks and other tourist attractions in Cochise County was not included in the NAU study.
However, Robert Carreira, director of the Center for Economic Research, said a study conducted by Dean Runyan Associates for the Arizona Office of Tourism estimated the total direct impact of Cochise County's tourism and travel industry at over $351 million, responsible for 4,520 jobs countywide and $24.3 million in direct state and local government tax revenue in 2008.
A study conducted by Northern Arizona University showed that Kartchner Caverns State Park on State Route 90 near Benson continues to see a decline in visitors.
The Cochise College Center for Economic Research broke down the study last week, looking at the economic impact of state parks on the county economy. Besides Kartchner Caverns, the county also has one other state park, Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park. According to the study by the Arizona Hospitality Research and Resource Center at Northern Arizona University (NAU), the two parks have a combined annual economic impact on Cochise County of nearly $20 million. Looking at data from 2007, visitors to the two parks combined are responsible for nearly 300 jobs in the county and generate more than $1.5 million annually in state and local government tax revenue. When Kartchner, one of the world's only living caves, first opened in 2001. City, county and state officials were hopeful that it would kick start growth in Benson. To some degree the prediction was correct, as numerous housing developments have been built over the last five years, and commercial giant Wal-Mart opened about two years ago.
The NAU study analyzed the impact of the park on direct expenditures by visitors, as well as the indirect and induced impacts that occur when the state parks, and local businesses that receive money from park visitors, spend money in the local economy on goods and services. This includes spending by park employees and employees of other firms that receive money from visitors.
Kartchner Caverns is the fourth largest of 27 state parks in Arizona in terms of the number of visitors, behind Lake Havasu in Mohave County, Slide Rock in Coconino County, and Patagonia Lake in Santa Cruz County.
Kartchner Caverns had 155,909 visitors in fiscal year 2007, down 21.7 percent from 2001. However, officials said this is not uncommon, as there has been a decline in visitors to many of state parks since 2001. Sixteen of the 26 parks that were open both in 2001 and 2007 had a drop in visitors.
Kartchner is also unique because is it not open year round. The living cave is a maternity ward to bats flying in from Mexico to have their babies.
The Big Room is closed for the summer starting April 15, because the cave bats return and roost there until mid-October. During the summer months, the cave's Big Room serves as a nursery for around 1,000 female cave bats, known as the Myotis velifer.
Pregnant females return to Kartchner Caverns around the end of April, where they give birth to a single pup in late June. Female bats and their offspring will leave in mid-September, to begin their migration to their winter hibernation roost.
While the Big Room is open to visitors during the winter, the Rotunda room, another entrance to the cave located at the base of the Whetstone Mountains is open year-round.
Visitors touring Kartchner Caverns spent more than $9.6 million directly in the Cochise County economy in 2007.
The total direct, indirect, and induced economic impact of Kartchner Caverns in 2007 was $12.3 million in income, 188 jobs, and $1.7 million in state and local tax revenue, according to the study.
The largest share of direct expenditures by visitors to Kartchner Caverns was for in-park expenses including gift shop purchases. In-park expenditures accounted for 30 percent of all direct expenditures. The second largest category was food and beverages outside the park, which accounted for 18 percent of total direct expenditures. This was followed by retail shopping at 13 percent and personal auto expenditures, such as gas, oil, repairs and park fees, accounted for 11 percent.
Admission fees were the fifth largest category of expenditures, accounting for 8 percent of the total. Other categories included camping, groceries, recreation equipment supplies, lodging, tourist services, and other expenses, which accounted for the remainder of direct expenditures by visitors.
Tombstone Courthouse is the 19th largest of 27 state parks in Arizona measured by the number of visitors in 2007. According to the NAU study, the Tombstone Courthouse had 52,989 visitors in 2007, down 28.5 percent from 2001.
In addition to the two state parks, Cochise County is also home to three national parks: Chiricahua National Monument, Coronado National Memorial, and Fort Bowie National Historic Site.
The impact of the national parks and other tourist attractions in Cochise County was not included in the NAU study.
However, Robert Carreira, director of the Center for Economic Research, said a study conducted by Dean Runyan Associates for the Arizona Office of Tourism estimated the total direct impact of Cochise County's tourism and travel industry at over $351 million, responsible for 4,520 jobs countywide and $24.3 million in direct state and local government tax revenue in 2008.
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