National parks across NSW recorded their highest ever visitation in the last financial year with 65.5 million visits.

The state’s network of around 900 parks and reserves not only connected people with nature during the period, they injected $19.5 billion to the state’s economy.

According to the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service Park Visitation Survey, the top 10 most visited parks in the 2024-25 financial year were:

  1. Blue Mountains National Park – 7.8 million visits
  2. Royal National Park – 4.9 million visits
  3. Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park – 4.3 million visits
  4. Lane Cove National Park – 2.4 million visits
  5. Kosciuszko National Park – 2.4 million visits
  6. Sydney Harbour National Park – 2.2 million visits
  7. Brisbane Water National Park – 2.1 million visits
  8. Morton National Park – 1.9 million visits
  9. Bouddi National Park – 1.6 million visits
  10. Glenrock State Conservation Area – 1.5 million visits

For the first time, the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service Park Visitation Survey also included international visitation data, showing the global appeal of NSW’s natural assets. 72 per cent of overseas tourists to NSW visited at least one national park, generating 4.6 million visits.

The latest results surpass the previous record of 60 million visits set in 2018, reflecting strong and sustained growth in nature-based tourism.

Greater Sydney welcomed 28 million visits and the South Coast 7.5 million, both record-breaking figures for the regions.

Nearly nine in 10 visitors reported they were satisfied or very satisfied with their visit, showcasing the quality recreation, wellbeing and community connection parks bring.

The survey started in 2008 and is conducted every two years to provide insights into how people use and value national parks, and enable the government to plan for the future. The survey reports on the total number of visits, rather than the number of people who visited parks.

The NSW Visitor Economy Strategy 2025 identifies national parks as a key strength for the state.

Anchored by Sydney’s iconic harbour and beaches, NSW has more than 870 national parks and marine reserves, more than 2,000km of coastline and an intricate network of rivers and lakes.

From camping and bushwalking, to surfing world-class beaches and snorkelling marine reserves, these experiences attract high-value visitors, support regional businesses and economies and strengthen NSW’s position as a leader in nature-based tourism.

Learn more about the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy 2035 here.