BOZEMAN, MT—PERC commends the new executive order issued by President Trump administration raising entrance fees for international visitors across America’s national parks—a policy shift that will provide sorely needed revenue for the parks system without placing additional strain on taxpayers.
In March, PERC met with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum to advocate for the policy measure, among others. The executive order, announced today, will direct the Department of Interior to implement an entrance fee structure with surcharges for international tourists—a group that accounts for a growing share of parks’ visitors but currently pays the same fees as U.S. citizens. The new approach aligns park funding more closely with actual park usage and mirrors successful international visitation models, such as those used in Chile, Ecuador, and South Africa.
“If you can afford a flight from Beijing to Yellowstone, you can afford to pay to take care of the place you’re coming to see. Charging international visitors a little more to experience national parks, just like most other countries do, is a no-brainer,” said Brian Yablonski, PERC CEO. “President Trump and Secretary Burgum deserve enormous credit for implementing a common-sense reform that could generate over a billion dollars in revenue, address long-standing maintenance backlogs, and help keep our national parks protected, wild, and open for generations to come. It’s a big idea for America’s best idea, our national parks.”
This solution is one of many proposals included in a report issued by PERC earlier this year: 10 Ideas for the Interior Department. The organization’s advocacy and research have continued to prove that increased visitor fees will protect park infrastructure, improve the visitor experience, and support park funding. Other benefits of the executive order include:
- Fairer cost-sharing between domestic taxpayers and international visitors
- Depoliticized park funding
- Annual revenue generation of up to $1.2 billion for the park system
- Stronger stewardship of cultural and natural resources
- Improved visitor experiences through better-maintained facilities
- Enhanced funding targeting long-overdue repairs and upgrades
The full executive order can be found here.
