BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK, Texas — Big Bend National Park is a gem in West Texas.
As a tourism destination for many, the park is an economic boom for the region as a whole having brought in over $56 million in 2023.
“In many ways it’s kind of a timeless place," said Tom VandenBerg, chief of Visitor Services at Big Bend National Park.
Big Bend National Park is now in its 80th year and it continues to attract visitors from all over.
“Quite a few foreign visitors, especially in the heightened winter," VandenBerg said. "You can imagine, people that live up north – Canadiens, people from Europe, Germany, people from Holland. We get people from all over the world that like to come to soak up the West Texas sun for sure.”
Over 500,000 people now visit the park yearly.
While the majority come from other parts of Texas, everyone spends their money in the area.
“Hired lots of jobs, promoted a lot of businesses, and so while people come here to enjoy the scenery and to hike and to camp and birdwatch, they’re also supporting a whole economy – which is pretty exciting," VandenBerg said.
The remote nature of the park means folks typically spend days in the Big Bend region.
“So, they’re looking for lodging, they’re looking for a restaurant, they’re looking for maybe one of the local outfitters to take them on a river trip or a Jeep tour, they’re picking up gas, they’re buying food – all of that sort of thing just expands and it’s just more good is given to the local economy with every visitor that comes," VandenBerg said.
While a timeless beauty, all of those visitors are putting an emphasis on upgrades to keep the park going strong.
“The rebuilding of the Chisos Mountains Lodge, the restaurant building, all of that -- the store [and] the restaurant -- and then, concurrently we will be replacing all the old, old, old water lines throughout the entire national park, and all of that is for, essentially, sustainability," VandenBerg said. "We’re spending a lot of money to ensure a bright future for visitation in this desert environment."