Visitors to Massachusetts national parks spent $721M in 2021

Massachusetts brought in $721 million from visitors to its national parks in 2021, one of the highest totals in the nation, according to new data from the National Park Service.

Driving the news: The state doesn't come in first place in visitor spending, but it's still a tourism magnet in the summer.

• Massachusetts ranks No. 10 in visitor spending, behind states like California and North Carolina, but above Maine and Washington, D.C.
• Unsurprisingly, more than three quarters of the spending comes from Cape Cod.

Why it matters: The NPS data shines a light on the impact that tourism still has on the state's economy, despite the pandemic.

• Visitor spending supported an estimated 8,900 jobs and $457 million in labor income.
• Visitors also contributed about $1.1 billion in economic output in Massachusetts. NPS defines economic output as the total estimated value of the production of goods and services from visitor spending near park lands.

By the numbers: Massachusetts' visitor spending dipped from 2019 to 2020, from $871 million to $628 million, before rebounding in 2021, according to the NPS.

• The bulk of the spending in 2021 benefited hotels ($353 million), followed by restaurants ($150 million).
• The rest went toward groceries, gas, camping, retail and transportation.