(The Center Square) - Visitors to Oklahoma's 35 state parks generated $15.5 million in state tax receipts and $9.3 million in local tax receipts in 2021, according to a new report from the Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department.
Visitors to state parks spent more than $354 million in the parks and surrounding areas, according to the report. That is 10% higher than 2020, according to OTRD.
Travel-related businesses generated $59 million in earnings and benefits as the result of visits to state parks, according to the report.
Research firm Dean Runyan Associates compiled the report, which shows that the majority of the spending was on food and beverages and gasoline and transportation, with both coming in at over $114 million.
The amount spent on food includes money spent in local communities surrounding the state parks. The report does not have any number on individual food services, Rylie Mansuetti, public information office for OTRD told The Center Square.
Swadley's Bar-B-Q operated four restaurants at state parks in 2021. Their contract was terminated after the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency found several incidents of excessive spending that included $11,000 for a cheese melter and 164,903 miles in travel expenses for one month. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is probing the deal.
The report did not consider how much service providers spend on capital and operational expenses.
As for now, the four restaurants formerly operated by Swadley's are empty.
"The department is currently researching alternative options to provide dining amenities in those locations," Mansuetti said. "There is a potential for new solicitations within the next calendar year."
The majority of state park visitors were from in-state and made up about 59% of overnight visits. Many of the out-of-state visitors were from Texas, Kansas, Arkansas and Missouri, according to OTRD.
The state parks also generated jobs, according to the report. Nearly 3,000 jobs are a result of state park activity.
“Oklahoma's state parks are a crucial part of the state’s tourism industry, generating jobs and dollars in our communities from traveler spending,” said Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell, who also serves as Secretary of Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage. “Travelers are discovering what Oklahomans have known all along — the Oklahoma outdoors are incredible.”
via Oklahoma's Center Square News