Zion National Park attendance falls 3.5 percent

The summer tourism season is coming to a close and Zion National Park has reported 2010 summer attendance is down 3.5 percent from 2009. It's the first time since 2006 that the park hasn't increased its attendance numbers over the previous year.

"We're almost exactly where we were in 2007," said Zion spokesman Erik DeGroat, adding that 2008 and 2009 were record-breaking years. "The difference we're talking about is a couple hundred thousand. When you're talking about almost 3 million (total visitors) it isn't huge."

So how does a drop in attendance affect the nearby businesses dedicated to serving tourists? "I don't know that there's a direct correlation," Zion Canyon Visitor's Bureau President Dean Cooke said. "In 2009 they had a great year and everyone in town was down a bit." Cooke said hotels and restaurants in Springdale are actually doing better this year while attendance is down. Still, he added, good news for the park is always good news for Springdale. The Spectrum