Visitors who come from outside the United States will soon have to pay more to enter the country's national parks, while American residents will be prioritized when it comes to permits and reservations systems.
Following on from the proposals reported last month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on July 3 that instructs the National Park Service (NPS) to increase fees for foreign visitors.
A White House release also indicates – under the heading Putting Americans First – that the Order directs the Secretary of the Interior to make national parks more affordable and enjoyable for American families. During a evening rally in Iowa on the same day as the order, Trump announced: "The national parks will be about America first."
This looks like bad news for international tourists planning to visit the likes of Yosemite, the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone, to name just three. There will be many places that international big wall climbers, elite runners and those looking to tackle some of the nations classic thru hikes will now have to pay for more. However, only around 100 of the 433 park units currently charge admission and the cost varies from place to place. It's not yet clear which of these will charge foreign visitors more.
Currently, visitors can buy annual passes for some parks, as well as the 'America the Beautiful' pass for all national park lands, which costs $80 a year. US citizens over the age of 62 can also buy a lifetime America the Beautiful pass for a one-off $80 fee, while US military members, Gold Star Family members, US residents with a permanent disability, US 4th graders and recreation site volunteers also get the pass for no cost. How or if the price of the America the Beautiful pass will change for international visitors is not yet know.
It's also not yet clear when the increase in fees or any other policies around reservations systems and permits will come into effect.
While it's thought the move may put some foreign visitors off visiting the US' national parks, it comes at a time when visitor numbers continue to break records.
Nevertheless, it's been a turbulent time for the NPS in recent months. February's job cuts, brought about by the Department of Government Efficiency, played a large part in a 24% reduction of NPS staff since Trump took office – according to National Parks Conservation Association analysis released this week.
In March, there were nationwide protests in support of the sacked NPS workers; while in April, veteran leaders of the NPS joined forces to voice their anger at the cuts to services and staff, saying that they thought that NPS employees "are under attack".
Why is the Trump administration raising fees for foreign visitors?
The Trump administration has pointed to two factors to justify its price hike for foreign visitors: more revenue to fund the park system and to ensure fairness for American visitors, who it argues also pay towards the maintenance of national parks in their taxes.
It's thought that a foreign visitor surcharge would generate an additional $90 million or more every year. Thursday's White House release states that "the increased fee revenue from foreign tourists will raise hundreds of millions for conservation projects that improve our national parks". It cited further investment into the parks, a reduction in the maintenance backlog, infrastructure upgrades and conservation support as benefits of the additional funding.
It also points out that Americans had been, in effect, paying more than foreign tourists to visit national parks, as they were required to pay the same entry fee on top of the tax contribution they'd have already made. It pointed out that: "increasing fees for foreign visitors will also ensure fairness".
The news comes just a month after we reported that popular English National Parks may soon have to charge entry fees for the first time in history. This suggested move would be intended to plug the gap in finances left behind by government cuts.
