A brand new research from Georgia Tech’s Faculty of Economics suggests a correlation between social media publicity and visitation at U.S. Nationwide Parks—extra publicity typically means extra guests. Whereas we may have guessed {that a} correlation like this exists, it’s fascinating to see some information displaying that influencers are influencing, and it’s making nationwide parks extra crowded.
Or, ought to we are saying, influencers are influencing, and it’s making America extra outdoorsy?
It relies on whom you ask, proper? However again to the analysis.
Casey Wichman, affiliate professor of economics at Georgia Tech and creator of the research, which printed April 1 within the Proceedings of the Nationwide Academy of Sciences, stated: “There’s been a basic concept that social media publicity issues for visitation, however this analysis exhibits that it issues to a really robust diploma. It’s one of many most important drivers of the large enhance in visitation to nationwide parks.”
So, simply how influential is social media publicity in driving park attendance?
Wichman found that parks with “excessive social media publicity” noticed a 16-22% enhance in guests in comparison with areas that obtained much less publicity on platforms like Fb, Instagram, Twitter/X, and TikTok.
Curiously, the research discovered that solely constructive publicity resulted in visitation will increase. (“Any publicity is sweet publicity” needn’t apply right here.) Images and movies seem like best at driving park attendance.
Nationwide Park Attendance
In line with the U.S. Nationwide Park Service (NPS), 325.5 million individuals visited an NPS website, which incorporates nationwide parks, nationwide historic websites, and extra, in 2023. That’s about 13 million extra guests than in 2022.
Day guests felt this squeeze, with the extent to which crowds impacted their go to relying on the park and the time of yr they visited. Campers additionally felt the squeeze. Almost half of campers in a latest survey by The Dyrt stated that they had bother reserving a tenting reservation in 2023 as a result of the campgrounds had been full (throughout all campgrounds, not simply in nationwide parks).
Going through crowds might be irritating, however isn’t it additionally a very good factor that extra persons are exploring the good open air?
NPS’s mission is to protect “pure and cultural sources and values of the Nationwide Park System for the enjoyment, training, and inspiration of this and future generations” (emphasis added). Visitation is the aim, then, however at what level does an excessive amount of visitation have an effect on guests’ means to get pleasure from, be taught, and be impressed?
Wichman stated: “If you happen to have a look at information articles, social media is essentially pitched as driving overcrowding and being a unfavorable factor. But it surely’s not clear to me that that’s the case. Sure, we spend lots of time on our telephones, particularly youthful demographics, however this additionally means that social media can really get us exterior extra.”
Weigh in beneath. What are the professionals and cons of social media influencing nationwide park visitation?
