The St. Croix River, a major tourist destination, generates enormous spending. Businesses depend on the visitors attracted to the water.
By Kevin Giles kgiles@startribune.com
Spending flows generously along the mighty St. Croix River, buying everything from boating trips to hotel stays to food and drink.
The latest National Park Service report shows visitors spent $8.7 million in 2012, but that's only within the federal portion of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. Add dollars spent farther south in tourist-rich Stillwater, and spending estimates climb dramatically.
"There's an economy built here," said Deb Ryun, who leads the St. Croix River Association. "Without that river, the economic engine up here, a lot of those towns would be small and dead like you find elsewhere in the country. We can't discount the amount of dollars and jobs that the St. Croix brings."
The Park Service report, issued March 5, shows that 221,028 visitors came to the riverway in 2012. Money they spent supported 124 jobs, the report said. "National park tourism is a significant driver in the national economy, returning $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service," Superintendent Chris Stein said.
Just how much consumers spend on recreation along the 169-mile river has been difficult to determine because of so many variables, such as weather and the river's sheer size. It borders 11 counties and dozens of cities and towns in two states.
Ryun said $25.9 million would be a "highly conservative" estimate of money spent in a single year along the Lower St. Croix River. That number, however, was culled from studies done years ago and could be significantly lower than current spending. Ryun also said that a 2008 study showed that the St. Croix River was second only to the Mall of America in tourism popularity in Minnesota.