Park numbers historic? Yellowstone visitation stats had repeat visits

Park numbers historic? Yellowstone visitation stats had repeat visits
 
CODY (WNE) — Last week Yellowstone National Park announced its record-breaking 2021 season might not have been as historic as the attendance numbers indicated.
The Park counted 4.86 million visits in 2021, but a close analysis of visitor-use data showed it double-counted more than 350,000 vehicles that re-entered the Park in 2021 compared to 2019. 
Yellowstone determined this was likely due to approximately 20% fewer overnight stays in the Park and other factors like construction projects and COVID-19. The Park had about 20% fewer campsites and hotel rooms available in 2021 compared to previous years.
Even when double-counting occurs, real people are still being counted as entering the Park each time. The difference lies in that those people may not have been counted twice in the past if they stayed inside the Park for multiple days.
Cam Sholly, Yellowstone superintendent, said in a WyoFile story early this month the counting conflation increased the visitor numbers by about 900,000 people. If Sholly is correct, the Park fell short of a record-breaking year, with attendance most similar to 2019 numbers.
Yellowstone reported that statistics garnered from trail counters, trash, water usage and public safety calls showed visitor-use levels being more comparable to 2019, when the Park counted 4 million visits.
Linda Veress, a spokesperson for Yellowstone, said the Park has no plans to re-configure its 2021 attendance total and will not mark this statistic with an asterisk because it is not considered inaccurate.
“Each time a vehicle enters the Park for recreational purposes, it is considered a first visit whether it is re-entering or coming through the gate for the first time,” Veress said.
 
This story was published on Jan. 26, 2022.