International tourists visiting popular national parks in the U.S. next year will be required to pay additional fees and raised rates on annual passes, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced Tuesday.
New Entry Rules for Non-Residents
International travelers will pay $250 for annual passes to visit national parks, while U.S. residents will continue to pay $80.
Non-residents who don't hold an annual pass will be required to pay a $100 per-person surcharge, on top of the regular entry fee, to access each of the 11 most-visited national parks, including the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Yellowstone.
These “America-first” rules are meant to help fund the upkeep of U.S. national parks.
The Interior Department will also introduce "resident-only patriotic fee-free days" on the National Park Service's 110th anniversary and on select 2026 holidays, including Flag Day, which coincides with President Donald Trump's birthday.
Domestic Travel Soars As International Tourism Dims
The U.S. has been facing a decline in international tourism, with a significant impact on the country’s economy. Earlier this year, the World Travel & Tourism Council projected that the U.S. was projected to lose $12.5 billion in travel revenue in 2025 due to political uncertainties.
According to the U.S government’s National Travel and Tourism data, overseas tourism into the country declined 7.7% to 2.8 million visitors for September, outpacing August’s 2.9% decline. Notably, this news also comes as estimates from the National Parks Conservation Association stated on Monday that parks lost an estimated $41 million in entrance and recreation fees during the shutdown.
Despite this, domestic travel has been on the rise, with an estimated 82 million Americans traveling over Thanksgiving, marking the highest volume ever recorded for the holiday. BofA analysts said the recent government shutdown caused temporary operational disruptions for major U.S. airlines like American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ:AAL) and United Airlines Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL), Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE:DAL), and others, but it was a one-time external issue and not a sign of slowing travel demand.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
