Nearly 4 million people who visited Acadia National Park in 2023 spent $475 million in and around Bar Harbor – a figure that’s down slightly from 2022 but up significantly from pre-pandemic numbers, according to a new report from the National Park Service.

Spending by 3.88 million park visitors last year also supported 6,000 jobs and had a cumulative benefit of $685 million to the wider Down East economy, the park service reported.

A family walks and hops along Jordan Pond in Acadia National Park. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer

Spending by park visitors in nearby communities fell 1.7% from $483 million in 2022, and was 3.1% below a high of $490 million in 2021. However, last year’s $475 million is 22.4% more than the pre-pandemic high of $388 million in 2018.

“People come to Acadia National Park to experience the beauty of its amazing landscape and recreate on its historic carriage roads and hiking trails,” Superintendent Kevin Schneider said in a statement. “We’re proud that Acadia National Park not only offers visitors an extraordinary experience but significantly supports local businesses.”

Park visitors decreased again in 2023, down 2.3% from 3.97 million visitors in 2022, and down 3% from a record 4 million visitors in 2021, when the park saw increased demand from people eager to get out of the house during the pandemic and go to places within driving distance.

But Acadia’s 3.88 million visitors in 2023 is still 35% higher than the annual average of 2.87 million visitors the park drew in the decade from 2010-2019, peaking at 3.54 million in 2018. The COVID-19 shutdown triggered a sudden drop from 3.4 million visitors in 2019 to 2.7 million visitors in 2020, followed by a record rebound in 2021.

The park service report, 2023 National Park Visitor Spending Effects, found that 325.5 million visitors spent $26.4 billion in communities near national parks across the United States. This spending supported 415,400 jobs, provided $19.4 billion in labor income and $55.6 billion in economic output to the U.S. economy.

The lodging sector had the highest direct contributions with $9.9 billion in park visitor spending and 89,200 jobs. Restaurants received the next greatest direct contributions with $5.2 billion in park visitor spending and 68,600 jobs.

“I’m so proud that our parks and the stories we tell make a lasting impact on more than 300 million visitors a year,” said park service Director Chuck Sams. “And I’m just as proud to see those visitors making positive impacts of their own, by supporting local economies and jobs in every state in the country.”