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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Ridiculous.  And this will be devastating to the tourism industry.[/quote]

The National Parks are desperately overcrowded as is. A few less tourists in them is a good thing.[/quote]

The “overcrowded” narrative is exaggerated. It’s not all parks, all the time; it’s a handful of marquee sites, and mostly at peak season. Much of the pandemic‑era surge was temporary, driven by people turning to outdoor recreation when other options were closed. That spike has already eased.

And let’s be clear: the overwhelming majority of visitors are Americans. Foreign tourists are a fraction of the total. Slapping a surcharge on them won’t solve crowding, it’s political theater, not policy.

Meanwhile, tourism is the lifeblood of many gateway communities. Locals may gripe about traffic, but those dollars keep restaurants, hotels, and outfitters alive. Cutting off international visitors risks devastating local economies while doing nothing to fix the real issues driving the perception of "overcrowding": underfunded infrastructure and staffing shortages.[/quote]

: A 2018 report from the U.S. Travel Association indicated that overseas visitors were expected to make up around 36.7% of visitors in 2017 to national parks and monuments.

https://www.ustravel.org/sites/default/files/media_root/document/NPS_Overseas_Highlights_V1%20%281%29.pdf[/quote]

[quote] In 2016, 37.6 million overseas visitors1 traveled to the United States.
Of these 37.6 million overseas arrivals, up from 33.4 percent in 2012.
35.4 percent (13.3 The total number of overseas arrivals to the U.S. is expected to reach 37.5 million in 2017.
■ ■ The share of these overseas arrivals visiting national parks and monuments is expected to increase
from 35.4 percent in 2016 to 36.7 percent in 2017.
■ ■ As a result, national parks and monuments will receive about 14.3 million overseas visitors in 2018, up
7.6 percent from 13.3 million in 2016.
In 2016, the UK, China, Germany, France and Australia were the top 5 sources of overseas visitors to
national parks and monuments, accounting for nearly 42 percent of total overseas visitation to national
parks and monuments.
Sha[/quote]
https://www.ustravel.org/sites/default/files/media_root/document/NPS_Overseas_Highlights_V1%20%281%29.pdf[/quote]

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