Report shows Six Flags Over Georgia has $301 million impact on local economy

When we talk about "economic multipliers" - this is how businesses help the local economy....increased travel and tourism means more money for bars and restaurants, shops, hotels and motels, etc. Even little Conneaut Lake Park helps more than we might see at first glance...."green" jobs.

These types of reports tend to be overstated (at least when they are conducted/sponsored by people that have incentives to be biased -- such as a travel/tourist group). Direct spending by the parks is easy to see (though sometimes it can be difficult to determine what is spent locally). Indirect spending on restaurants, hotels, etc. is often tougher to pinpoint accurately. Correlation often becomes causation and indirect benefits can be stretched particularly if you have a bias in favor.

What you rarely see are any negative effects. Consumer spending tends to get shifted from one place to another. That an amusement park exists does not increase the income of its customers (other than those who work for the park but that is a small percentage of the total). Spending on one thing often reduces spending on other things. Lost business for those other entities is typically not included in the rah rah economic studies. No doubt its difficult to measure. But also because there is a bias in favor of the given project (here an amusement park).