2009 - USDA Forest Service

January 2009 Interpretation and Conservation Education Master Plan
homes to reach their destination. A large percentage of these visitors reach
the island on a Caribbean cruise ship tour.
Table 6 - Percentage of El Yunque NF Visits by Household Income (NVUM - 2006)
Annual Household Income National Forest Visits (%)
Under $25,000 10.1
$25,000 - $49,999 24.9
$50,000 - $74,999 31.2
$75,000 - $99,999 13.8
$100,000 - $149,999 8.3
$150,000 and Over 11.8
Nearly half of all recreational visitors are local residents; the remainders are
off-island tourists. In the latter category, by far the greater number (80%)
arrives from the U.S. mainland, predominantly from the Eastern seaboard
states. International visitors represented roughly 21% (PRTC – 2008), with
Europe, Canada and South America as the top three points of origin.
However, international visitors were seen to be under-represented in NVUM
survey data for the same reasons outlined above. A significant 93% of all
forest visitors stated that recreation was the sole purpose of their visit. The
viewing of natural features and wildlife were the chief activities that visitors
engaged in; hiking, driving for pleasure and relaxing were next in order of
preference.
Table 7 - Activity Participation and Primary Activity for the El Yunque NF (NVUM -
2006)
Activity
Percent
Participation
Hiking / Walking 78.6 54.0
Viewing Natural Features 80.6 20.6
Viewing Wildlife 65.4 6.5
Relaxing 37.7 5.9
Driving for Pleasure 42.0 5.8
Other Non-motorized 11.6 1.9
Nature Center Activities 33.2 1.1
Picnicking 6.7 0.6
Percent who said it was their
primary activity
21 El Yunque National Forest
Puerto Rican Parrot
Chicks