Oklahoma parks log more visitors
Gloomy economy prompts more people to vacation closer to home, official says

BY MICHAEL MCNUTT Comments 0
Published: October 18, 2009

The slowdown in the nation’s economy has resulted in more Oklahomans and those from surrounding states spending their vacations at the state’s parks.

More Info

conference scheduled

The 2009 Governor’s Conference on Tourism is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday at the Renaissance Tulsa Hotel and Convention Center.

The conference will include a trade show, educational programs, networking opportunities and industry awards. The conference is put on by the Oklahoma Travel Industry Association, the state Tourism and Recreation Department and tourism organizations. For more information, go online to www.otia.info.

NewsOK Related Articles

The increase in visitors, the highest in nearly a decade, provides an economic boost to neighboring cities and towns, the director of the state’s parks system said.

About 12.2 million people visited an Oklahoma state park during the 2009 fiscal year, which ended June 30, said Hardy Watkins, executive director of the state Tourism and Recreation Department. That’s an increase of about 150,000 compared with the previous year.

It’s the first increase in attendance at the parks since 2003. The boost in attendance — the largest since summer 2001 — means the state’s parks were a favorite destination for Oklahomans who went on "staycations” this year because of the economic downturn, Watkins said.

"The staycation was very real this year,” he said. "The affordability of our attractions and facilities and the services that we offer made it very attractive for our residents and the residents of surrounding states.”

The 2009 attendance figure is more impressive considering the state since has sold a couple of major attractions, such as the lodge and cabins at Lake Texoma and the Fountainhead Golf Course, he said.

"We have a smaller universe of facilities, and yet we’re seeing now increasing attendance,” he said.

Visitors to the parks generated an estimated $18.5 million in revenue for the parks system, Watkins said. Admission to the parks is free, but various fees are charged.

Reaping rewards

Visitors just don’t spend their money at the parks. Preliminary figures produced by Oklahoma State University’s Center for Hospitality and Tourism Research show that $51 is spent per visit in an adjoining community by every person who visits or stays at a state park.

"There are instances where a nearby motel benefits from the proximity of a state park,” Watkins said.

Findings from the report, which should be ready for release next year, show that the economic impact to neighboring communities ranges from about $40 for a visitor who dines or buys fuel, up to about $140 for a person staying in a motel, he said.

Findings of the study will help illustrate the value of a state park, he said.

Oklahoma has 50 state parks, ranging in size from very large, such as the 12,000-acre Lake Murray State Park, to smaller parks, which may have just 20 campsites next to a small lake. The state park system has five lodges, seven golf courses and 304 cabins and cottages.

"Additionally, our system encompasses some unique landforms — Alabaster Caverns, Glass Mountains, Great Salt Plains — so they have not only a recreational component to them, but they also have important historic sites or important landform sites, as well,” Watkins said.

The parks allow nearby communities, many in rural areas, to become a draw for visitors, Watkins said.

The parks also benefit residents in the state’s two largest cities.

A preliminary review of bookings at the system’s 14 largest parks show that 55 percent of them come from the Oklahoma City and Tulsa areas, he said.

"That tells us our parks are beneficial to the rural economies because they are attractions to the rural economies, but they’re important to our urban residents because they provide getaway opportunities,” he said, adding that the state’s parks should continue to be popular.

"Oklahoma is a terrific, regional getaway destination. And it’s not just Oklahomans who will enjoy that. It will be north Texans and folks from southern Kansas and from West Texas, particularly,” Watkins said.

Improvements help

Recent capital improvements at the parks are also being noticed by visitors, Watkins said.

Legislators in 2007 re-allocated about $12 million a year for capital improvements in the parks system.

The department has spent that money installing roofs, buying furniture for cabins and putting in more modern campgrounds, the first upgrade in about 50 years, he said.

"With that money, we are able to improve what we offer the customer,” Watkins said.

The allocation can be spent only on capital improvements, so the Tourism and Recreation Department, like most state agencies, is grappling with budget cuts.

The department has scrapped some equipment purchases and is looking at possible furloughs.

The dedicated funds for capital improvements are the first targeted state money to improve the parks in about 35 years. The money will allow the department to whittle away at a backlog of projects totaling about $116 million, Watkins said.

"With the progress we’ve been able to make in the last two years, in five years I believe we will have a park system that is among the upper echelon in the country,” Watkins said. "In 10 years, if the funding continues, we will have a park system that will be the envy of the nation.”