3/3/17 – If you got your permit through us last summer, chances are we asked you to fill out a short survey. The survey was studying the economic impact of visitors to the BWCAW, commissioned by Friends of the Boundary Waters in partnership with Conservation Economics Institute and Quetico-Superior Foundation. The results are in, and they are astounding! The study, conducted during the 2016 summer tourism season, found that out-of-region visitors spent $57 million in the three surrounding counties: Cook, Lake and St. Louis. This spending led to the creation of nearly 1,000 jobs and overall economic output of $77 million in one summer season.
Joe Friedrichs, of our local radio station WTIP, recently did a great feature on the study, which you can listen to here.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to fill out and return the survey! We are happy to know that the data supports what we’ve always known to be true; visitors to the BWCA are a major economic driver in our region.
Clare