Blue Ridge Parkway announces visit stats for 2019
The Blue Ridge Parkway wings its way across the top of Botetourt County from US 460 in Blue Ridge to Rt. 43 in Buchanan.
Blue Ridge Parkway announces 2019 visitation numbers
(NC/VA) – Blue Ridge Parkway managers announced today that 14,976,085 visitors came to the Parkway in 2019. Despite extended weather-related closures in multiple sections of the Parkway in Virginia, recreation visits to the Parkway in Virginia saw a 4.4% increase over visitation to the same area in 2018. Likewise, visits to the North Carolina section of the Parkway continue to hold steady at over 10 million visitors annually.
Parkway visitation is a driving factor in many local tourism economies along the route. “Parkway tourism across Virginia’s Blue Ridge is a mainstay to our local economy,” said Catherine Fox, Vice President of Public Affairs & Destination Development of Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge, the Roanoke Valley region’s official destination marketing organization. “Tourism leaders in this region are pleased to see that Parkway tourism in Virginia continues to grow.”
While the Parkway remains open, weather permitting, year-round; the traditional visitor season begins in the spring and continues through fall. July and October are historically the highest visitation months on the Parkway. Information to help plan your Parkway visit and 2020 facility opening dates are available at www.nps.gov/blri.
For an in-depth look at 2019 visitation to the Blue Ridge Parkway and across the National Park Service, visit the NPS Social Science website.
–submitted by the Blue Ridge Parkway US NPS. Cathy Benson, photo BR parkway at 460 East entrance
