GARDINER — According to a new National Park Service report, tourism to Yellowstone National Park contributed $828 million to nearby communities in 2023.
I visited Gardiner—one of these gateway communities—to see how tourism really affects local business.
"This is going to be our second season. We originally started as a Hawaiian shaved ice trailer in 2022, then upgraded to the deli shop and we’ve been running the deli ever since," says Nick Sabo, owner of Paradise Deli in Gardiner.
Nick owns and operates Paradise Deli with his wife, Celeste. They started their business during a precarious year in Gardiner—2022’s historic Yellowstone River flooding.
According to the report's data, the park’s economic output suffered across the state in 2022, despite the intense spike that occurred after the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.
Sabo says, "This town turned into a ghost town during summertime, which never happens. You know, this town was still feeling the effects of the flood even last year."
Gardiner is a unique gateway town. It’s unincorporated from Park County and completely surrounded by national park and forest land. Its economy is almost entirely reliant on tourism.
Sabo says this has created equally as unique challenges for those living and working in Gardiner.
"The housing situation has definitely made things hard as a business. And even people just wanting to live here without owning a business—it's almost near impossible," he says.
WATCH RELATED: Affordable housing for teachers under development in Gardiner
One example of this challenge is student enrollment in Gardiner. Officials say the school has struggled with enrollment rates due to the lack of affordable housing to keep long-term residents around.
But Sabo says he's determined to stay in the place he grew up: "This town means a lot to me. I was raised here and I have a lot of memories here. I don’t plan on going anywhere else. We had the opportunity to open something and contribute to the town the best that we could."
And even after pandemics, fires, and floods?
"This is a small town and a tight-knit community. I feel that for the most part, everybody has each other's back and when people are in need, Gardiner definitely rises to the occasion," Sabo says.
To view the 2023 Yellowstone tourism report, visit the National Park Service website.
