Tourism and Public Lands in the West Tourism and Public Lands in the West Public lands make up nearly one-third of the U.S. land mass. Over half of all the land area of the West is federal land, owned by the people of the United States. Nine of the 13 western states are among the top 13 states in share of total state employment generated by domestic travel and tourism in the United States. Travel and tourism is a major economic force in the West.
Tourism is among the three largest industries in each of the western states.
States with relatively large per capita tourism receipts are generally more dependent on tourism than are those states with smaller per capita receipts. Clearly, the West is the most tourism dependent region in the United States, comprising 10 of the 13 states in the nation with the highest per capita tourism receipts. Nearly one-third of all the people employed in the U.S. tourism industry work in the 13 western states. Travel and tourism directly employs nearly 2 million people in the West.