In Development: Louisiana State Parks

Louisiana State Parks

Visitation continues trending up as Louisiana State Parks and Historic Sites saw over 1.75 million visitors last year, a five-year high. This pattern of growth is expected to continue as enhancements and new amenities are continuously added as funding becomes available. In fact, visitation is on track to climb to over 2 million visitors this year.

This is a stark difference from when I first took office. I was told by the previous administration that we would need to close seven state parks. Closing down parks was never an option we considered. After implementing cost saving measures and working with entrepreneurs through publicprivate partnerships (P3s), several state parks are now making a profit.

Last fiscal year, 20 out of 21 state parks had P3 agreements with 30 private businesses generating over $435,000 in revenue. Those agreements vary from kayak and tubing rentals to horseback rides and riverboat cruise tours. Our riverboat cruise partners generated a significant portion of this revenue at nearly $209,000 from over 13,000 guests across four state historic sites. During the same fiscal year, driven mainly by the riverboat influx, gift shops at the four sites rang up over $205,000 in sales with a combined estimated economic impact of nearly $415,000.

Our state parks need to offer first-class services, facilities and amenities in order to attract new visitors and keep our current visitors coming back. At Fontainebleau State Park, upcoming projects include: RV campsite upgrades to add full-sewer hookups, new nature center aquarium exhibits, and a special needs playground will accompany our all-terrain track wheelchair that is available for use at no charge.

We have plans to expand our P3 agreements with the goal of enhancing visitor experiences while generating additional revenue. Last year, we solicited proposals from entrepreneurs to enter into P3 agreements to potentially design, build, finance, operate and maintain new facilities such as cabins, group camps, campgrounds and playgrounds. We think Fontainebleau State Park could benefit from a number of P3 projects, for example: a new RV campground with pull-through campsites, new cabins, and more. Numerous project proposals were received and are under review by our team to ensure proposed projects support not only the Louisiana State Parks mission, but also the local community’s needs. We are always looking for new opportunities to partner with entrepreneurs. If you are interested in partnering with Louisiana State Parks, we want to hear from you. I’m excited to see which projects will move forward as we embark on this journey.

Stay up to date with all things Louisiana State Parks at www.LAStateParks.com

Billy Nungesser

Lieutenant Governor, State of Louisiana