For the first time, attendance tops 20 million
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Gov. Jay Nixon can add another accomplishment to the list he has built during his time as governor. The Governor on Wednesday announced that, for the first time, more than 20 million people visited Show Me State parks in a single year. It’s a new attendance record, and one Gov. Nixon has been hoping for.
In 2009, Gov. Nixon set out to combat a long tenure of declining attendance at Missouri state parks. He decided to step forward with an initiative aimed at improving parks, setting a goal to reach 20 million visitors by his final year in office.
Gov. Nixon made a significant investment in the existing state parks and historic sites, as approximately $18 million was invested in improving and maintaining facilities in the park system during fiscal years 2014 and 2015. An additional $10 million in investments in improvements to state parks and historic sites throughout Missouri is currently being made through a strategic bond issuance.
“Missourians recognize the natural treasures we have in our state parks, and again supported the renewal of the Parks, Soil and Water sales tax with its highest margin ever just last month,” Nixon said. “In turn, we’ve not only invested millions of dollars to maintain our parks and enhance the experiences of visitors, we’ve expanded our park system at the same time other states are closing or even selling their state parks. And as always, there’s no admission fee to enter and enjoy Missouri State Parks.”
That sales tax is the primary source of funding for Missouri’s state parks and historic sites.
In addition to increasing traffic to the already present state parks, Nixon also worked toward creating new parks. In July, Nixon dedicated Echo Bluff State Park in Shannon County, which has brought in more than 300,000 visitors in its first five months of operation. The project also provided new jobs to the area, whether through construction at the park or staffing the newly developed location.
Nixon also announced the addition of three new state parks last week: Bryant Creek State Park in Douglas County, Eleven Point State Park in Oregon County, and Ozark Mountain State Park in Taney County. With those three additions, Missouri now will have 91 Missouri state parks and historic sites.
Nixon has long spoken of the importance of Missouri trails and state parks as drivers of tourism and economic activity. He announced earlier this December that the number of visitors to Missouri hit an all-time record of 41.7 million. An economic impact study showed that visitors to state parks produced an overall economic impact of $1.02 billion and supported more than 14,000 Missouri jobs.
Benjamin Peters was a reporter for The Missouri Times and Missouri Times Magazine and also produced the #MoLeg Podcast. He joined The Missouri Times in 2016 after working as a sports editor and TV news producer in mid-Missouri. Benjamin is a graduate of Missouri State University in Springfield.
