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Ohio likely to benefit from free parks in 2012.

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By Cornelius Frolik and Lauren Pack, Staff Writers 7:43 PM Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Record-setting rainfall last year may have contributed to a drop in attendance in some state and local parks, but events in Butler County parks were well attended.

“The rain had died down by June, when many of our events were just getting underway,” said Susan Stretch, manger of marketing and community relations for Metro Parks of Butler County.

While the department does not currently have the means to count all vehicles visiting Butler County Parks, 32,700 people participated in park events in 2010. Stretch said that number was higher in 2011, but attendance estimates were not yet available Tuesday.

Two of the most popular events, KiteFest and the Crazy Cardboard Regatta, are held at Voice of America Park in West Chester Twp.

“The events were heavily attended last year, up from the year before,” Stretch said. She added the office expects attendance to increase this year as more promotion and public education is put forth about the county’s parks and programs.

In Montgomery County, Five Rivers MetroParks welcomed about 2.4 million visitors in 2011, about 300,000 fewer than the previous year. But the parks are weather-dependent and last year was full of inclement weather.

“Our days of highest and lowest park traffic correlate directly with weather extremes,” said Val Hunt Beerbower, spokeswoman with MetroParks. “So during 2011, with its ice storms, record-breaking deluges and scorching heat, (weather) certainly impacted park attendance.”

Ohio last year had 32 record rainfalls and seven heat-related records, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group.

Last year, Hueston Woods State Park in Preble County saw its attendance fall to about 2.43 million visitors, down from 2.72 million the previous year, said Hueston Woods region manager Mark Lockhart, citing preliminary data.

Parks are a vital part of tourism, and in 2010, visitors to Ohio’s 75 state parks pumped about $1.1 billion into the economy, said Jim Henahan, spokesman for Ohio State Parks.

Ohio is one of only a handful of states that have a free state park system, and Henahan said that makes its parks attractive to travelers across the state and country.

“We think it’s beneficial because it means that our parks are available to people of any income level, particularly during a time of economic stress,” he said.

“We provide a place that people can come for free and picnic and swim at the beach, and whatever they care to do.”

Anecdotal evidence suggests that tourism in Ohio continued to rebound in 2011 after overall sales increased by about 7 percent in 2010, said Amir Eylon, the state tourism director.

After the recession hit, tourism sales in the state fell to $36 billion from $39 billion, he said. But in 2010, the state recouped about 70 percent of the losses that occurred, and tourism sales climbed back up to $38 billion.

Consumers are traveling more, and Eylon said Ohio will benefit this year from weekend getaways and regional leisure travel. Travelers often cobble together a variety of activities for weekend trips, and they often take advantage of free entertainment.

“Value-added attractions, those that have low to free price points of admission, or those where there is a high perception of getting big bang for your buck tend to draw well,” he said.

“We are still seeing very value-conscious consumers.”

High gas prices and the state of the economy directly impact park visits, but the same goes for other free attractions.

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