Visitors, Spending Drop In The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

A new report from the National Park Service shows that almost 184,000 people visited the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore last year. The number of visitors to the park in 2016 is about a 20 percent drop compared to the year before. Julie Van Stappen with the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore said that’s because it was the first time since 2013 where temperatures were too warm for the ice caves to form.

“Actually, we’re still much higher than we were prior to the ice caves…. For example, 2013 – our visitation was 148,000 and last year was (184,000),” said Van Stappen.

Van Stappen said the ice caves went undiscovered to the outside world until 2014. In the winter of 2014, the ice caves drew more than 138,000 visitors to the Apostle Islands.

Visitor spending was also down last year at around $29 million. But, Van Stappen said people still spent 25 percent more in the park than they did in 2013. She said they’ve seen an uptick in visitors during the peak summer months now that people have become more aware of the Apostle Islands and the sea caves.

“Tourism is not only a significant driver in the national economy in returning $10 for every $1 invested, but also at the Apostle Islands on a local level it makes a big difference in the local economy,” she said.

Visitor spending supported 456 jobs in the area and generated nearly $36 million for the local economy, according to the report developed by economists with the National Park Service and U.S. Geological Survey.