October 1, 2009
State parks are key to grow tourism in Missouri, Governor tells tourism and business leaders in Branson and St. Louis
Gov. Nixon working to boost number of state parks visitors, reverse trend that saw attendance fall 18.6 percent from 1999 to 2008
ST. LOUIS, Mo. - In remarks Wednesday to tourism leaders meeting in Branson and again today to the Regional Business Council in St. Louis, Gov. Jay Nixon outlined a new initiative to jumpstart the state's tourism industry by promoting Missouri's state parks. The Governor's goal is to boost attendance at the 83 state parks and historic sites and thereby encourage families to spend more of their tourism dollars in Missouri.
"Our parks represent Missouri's rich diversity of landscapes, ecosystems and cultural landmarks - from canyons to caves, waterways to woodlands, and Civil War battlefields to artists' homes," Gov. Nixon said. "Boosting attendance at our state parks will help preserve a vital part of our Missouri heritage. It also will help grow our tourism industry, even in light of our current economic challenges."
In 1999, more than 18.2 million people visited Missouri state parks. The number of visitors to the parks in 2008 was 14.8 million, a decrease of 18.6 percent in 10 years.
"When times are tight, families are looking for value - but they also want a quality experience," Gov. Nixon said. "That's where our state parks come in. For single visitors, retired couples or families with minivans full of kids, our state parks offer visitors the value they need with the unparalleled quality they want. We've got excellent destinations in every region of our state. We just need to market our parks as part of the complete package families are looking for."
The Governor pointed to the beginning of construction on the Rock Island connector of the Katy Trail as one way to increase parks attendance in coming years. The connector will link the Kansas City area with the Katy Trail at Windsor. The Governor said the west-to-east construction will enable Kansas City area hikers and bicyclists to enjoy the cross-state trail as soon as possible.
In September, the Governor appointed Bill Bryan as deputy director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and as director of the department's Division of State Parks. Bryan, an avid outdoorsman, most recently served as the state's chief information officer.
"Bill is experienced and dynamic, and he will bring a diverse set of skills to this position," the Governor said. "I'm confident Bill will do a terrific job, especially in forging the link between the Internet and promoting our state parks to a nationwide and worldwide audience of potential visitors.
"This is about moving our entire tourism industry forward," Gov. Nixon said. "We're talking about using our state parks to grow the size of the entire tourism pie so that all of our destinations and attractions benefit.
"Many of the sharpest minds in our tourism industry are in this room today," the Governor told those at the tourism conference in Branson. "As we look carefully at our resources and decide the best path forward, Bill Bryan and his team will be calling on you for ideas and suggestions. Together, we'll find the most effective ways to harness the potential of our state parks for the benefit of our tourism industry and the entire state."
Missouri State Parks attendance 1999-2008
1999 -- 18,253,665
2000 -- 17,905,808
2001 -- 18,103,284
2002 -- 17,372,491
2003 -- 17,029,380
2004 -- 17,202,254
2005 -- 17,200,504
2006 -- 16,104,996
2007 -- 16,140,082
2008 -- 14,856,930