Potential Economic Impact
of the Allegheny Musarium
The potential economic impact of this project will be comparable to similar aquariums around the country. Aquariums have positive impacts on their local and regional economies. For example:
Monterey Bay Aquarium in California contributes $250 million a year to the state with approximately $170 million of that directly to Monterey County from aquarium and tourist spending.
The Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga generates $133 million in direct and indirect spending, and has created 1600 jobs within its first 12 months of operation. More than 100 stores and restaurants have opened near it. The aquarium has brought about a revitalization of the city's riverfront with an estimated economic impact of $1 billion.
The National Aquarium of Baltimore visitors brought $128.3 million to the region in 1990.
Our Projections
...Attract approximately 300,000 tourists per year to our area which in turn would generate
millions of dollars in direct and indirect spending
...Initial Job creation
- 27 professional full-time positions
- 21 permanent part-time positions
- 9+ temporary part-time and seasonal positions
...Will use local labor whenever possible
...Stimulate the revitalization of western Pennsylvania and surrounding areas
...Resulting in the development and expansion of infrastructure
-Hotels
-Restaurants
-Shops
...Increase attendance of existing local attractions, a few examples
-Kinzua Dam
-Sugar Grove Underground Railroad
-Allegheny National Forest
-Drake Well Oil Museum
-Local Historical Societies
-Knox & Kane Railroad
-Lumber Heritage Museum
-Roger Tory Peterson Nature Center
-Lucy/Desi Museum
-Elk Viewing Region
...Increase existing tax base
...Increase property values
...Encourage relocation to area
...Develop educational and research facilities
ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE TENNESSEE AQUARIUM
...Generated $133 million in direct and indirect spending
...1,600 jobs in the first 12 months after opening
...By the fifth anniversary the economic impact was estimated at $500 million
...Is credited with beginning the "Renaissance on the River," and the revitalization of downtown Chattanooga
...Has anchored an economic revitalization of the Ross's Landing
riverfront district, with an estimated economic impact nearing
$1 billion
...More than 100 stores and restaurants have opened within a few
blocks of the Aquarium
...In the 200-acre Ross's Landing area, appraised property values
have increased 124 percent
...Tourists spend 50 percent more than they did in 1991
...The industry employs 25 percent more people than a decade ago
...The city has seen a 33 percent increase in both the numbers of people
working downtown and the services for those downtown workers.
References: Tampa Tribune, Non-Profit times, CNN, Monterey Bay Aquarium, American Zoo & Aquarium Association, Christian Science Monitor
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