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WHEN WILL WE SEE THE EFFECTS OF THIS BOND?' <br /> <br />Many of the projects will be completed within two years. Others <br />will take longer to complete. <br /> <br />ARE STATE PARKS A POSITIVE INFLUENCE ON THE LOCAL AND <br />STATE ECONOMY? <br /> <br />Yes. The state parks system has over 10 million visitors a year, <br />which means a significant amount of money is pumped into the <br />economies of nearby towns and businesses. Money is spent by in- <br />state and out-of-state visitors for food, gasoline, lodging and <br />recreational equipment. <br /> <br />For example, each overnight camper spends an average of $26.28 a <br />day. This translates into jobs for the people who supply goods <br />and services, and their spending, in turn, creates still more <br />local employment. Out-of-state visitor spending provides jobs <br />for over 3,000 North Carolinians, jobs that would not otherwise <br />exist. ~ <br /> <br />Park facilities constructed or renovated with bond funds will <br />attract more state park users and more money from out-of-state <br />visitors and will help keep more dollars in the local ecanomies <br />around the parks and the state as a whole. Construction jobs will <br />also be created, which will contribute to the area economy. <br /> <br />ARE THERE LOCAL ECONOMIC BENEFITS OTHER THAN <br />SPENDING BY PARK VISITORS? <br /> <br />New businesses, industry and tourists are drawn to states that <br />offer attractive environments and a good quality of life. <br />Several years ago, the Royal Insurance Company decided to <br />relocate its business and some 1,600 employees' families to <br />Mecklenburg County; the area had what it wanted in the way of <br />"quality of life" for its employees and their families ... <br />convenient access to natural settings, recreational and cultural <br />opportunities, open space, and greenways, rivers and trails. <br />American Express moved a major operation to the Research Triangle <br />Park area for the same reasons. Both of these business moves <br />translate into tens of millions of dollars annually for local <br />merchants. <br /> <br />Our state parks' scenic beauty and family-oriented recreational <br />offerings are attractive to tourists and an essential ingredient <br />of the state's tourism industry. Travel and tourism is the <br />state's second largest industry, employing over 255,000 North <br />Carolinians. Tourism generates an annual economic impact of $7.3 <br />billion in North Carolina. <br /> <br /> <br />