Many state parks charge more for out of state travelers than residents. The logic is usually that in state residents contribute more to the park through taxes, and out of state residents are usually willing to pay more.
How would you feel about a similar scheme being applied to national parks? 700,000 international tourists visit Yellowstone alone each year.
45 comments
I’m not in favor of charging them more, but I wouldn’t mind some kind of permit system to limit the influx. It’s already straining the park system, and we need to let it breathe or it will only go downhill.
No. I feel our national parks are a wonder, and I’m just happy people are experiencing them.
Tourists pay taxes that don’t aid them either, I don’t believe that these things should be increased for tourists that aren’t American.
How do you determine this? You can be a foreign national and still have a state issued driver’s license.
It seems to be something that sounds good on paper but difficult to implement.
No.
Not an outrageous amount but I like the idea.
Americans can pay the usual $25 for a car and foreigners maybe $35? You could just base it on whether or not someone entering in the vehicle possess a state issued driver license or not.
I would not. Seems appropriately egalitarian not to. Permitting for volume of visitors is fine.
My opinion: they should. Our national parks are amazing treasures, and right now they aren’t easily accessible financially to a lot of people.
Even a modest road trip to Yellowstone is going to run a family thousands of dollars, between the limited, expensive lodging available nearby and booked out campgrounds. They’re going to be pinching pennies, including on the admission price. Meanwhile, somebody who is flying to Wyoming from another continent is unlikely to be as concerned about whether they pay $70 or $170 to get into the park for the week.
That extra money could either be used to lower admission costs for American families, or finance projects to improve the park.
To be clear, to any non Americans reading this, I love that our national parks are shared with the world like they are. But I wish that more Americans could enjoy them too, and I think this kind of scheme could help and still enable international visitors to come.
No.
I think your heading is a bit deceiving. You make it seem like the state parks charge more for foreigners only when it is for any out of state visitors, which would include foreigners. Also you mention state parks in the description but national parks in the title. Often times those can be funded in different ways. I think it does make sense in the the only real reason is because state taxes often fund the state parks. So people who live in the state contribute to those taxes and those visiting do not. Same thing applies to national parks.
Government run anything will always be an imperfect system but this concept works well in theory at least.
TLDR: Yes because residents contribute to those parks through taxes.
No I don’t think they should they should be able to enjoy the beauty of my country just like me!
Similar logic is used to justify charging foreigners more at attractions in countries such as Thailand, India, and Sri Lanka. However, in these cases, foreigners can often indeed afford to pay more than locals, even if the policy is discriminatory. In the US, though, it is a different story, with many Americans being able to afford the same fees as foreigners, even after paying taxes to maintain the places, so such a policy would make less sense in the US, in my opinion.
Depends. If you raise the price of admission because tourists will pay it, then you need to also make sure locals can still afford to go. I’m not necessarily for that solution either, but it seems inevitable at a certain point.
Absolutely not. I view our national parks as world treasures that we are custodians of. I wouldn’t want to pay a Yank tax to go see the Taj Mahal and nobody should pay a foreigner’s premium to see Yellowstone.
Just please don’t mess with the bison, guys. They may look like cows but they are not remotely domesticated! Seems like every year some poor foreign visitor gets mauled (Americans too of course).
No
No but they gotta pay extra for parking
No
No. I’m all in favor of tourists paying for museums and city residents getting in for free because their taxes are going directly to it, but national parks should be equal for everyone.
I lived in India and paid taxes and still had to pay 30 times as much as an Indian citizen because I was a foreigner, that system really rubbed me the wrong way
No. You are paying to enjoy the park. The fee should cover the individual visitor’s use of the park. That’s it.
Well, when I go to East Africa or the Galapagos or South Africa, I pay 10 if not 30 times the entry fee that locals do. I pay it because I can and the local countries I am visiting depend on that tourism money. It helps keep the reserves safe and (hopefully) the animals from being poached.
If the higher fees went directly to upkeep and care of Yosemite and the like, I’d be fine with it.
Naw, natural beauty should be open to all
Fuck that. I got my $80 America the Beautiful Pass and I ain’t paying any more than that.
No, the parks are for everyone, equally.
I don’t think so. I didn’t like places in Europe trying to make us pay to use the WC, so I don’t like the idea of charging foreigners more for anything.
Plus, that just seems discriminatory in general.
We kind if want to attract more, not less tourism. USD is pricey, so things are generally already pricey in the US.
I don’t think so. In fact, I’d like to go farther the other direction and charge everyone less, specifically $0, or some small number that might as well be zero.
I would not be in favor of that. Revenue generation is a short term idea when it comes to parks. Foot traffic is what reminds us that people use the parks, and it is foot traffic that causes parks to be maintained. Plus, I don’t believe we should look at parks as a business, I think they should be there and not have to justify their existence.
Nah.
>Should international visitors to national parks be charged more than Americans?
No
No. Our parks should be the same price for everyone (I also think the State Park thing should not be happening. I’ve declined to visit State Parks in certain circumstance where the price for the non-resident was ridiculously high. Looking at you, Walden Pond).
No that wouldn’t be very fair. Everybody should have equal opportunity to view America’s unique diverse ecosystems.
Hell yeah. Especially since they like to treat those places like their personal trash cans. Americans do it too of course but at a lower rate in my experience.
That said those are for the ultra popular ones. A lot are just free.
Pkus it will slow the huge waves that come to see it which is a strain on places like Yellowstone already. Other countries do it too and i support their decisions as well.
Nope, not for that at all!
Yes. Although I’d prefer we figure out a way to make them free for everyone.
No. The out of state price is fine. We can afford to cover your visit and we want you to come and feel welcome.
If you can’t afford the price, there are free or discounted times to come. If you have a little more to give, feel free to donate (anytime on the webpage) or support the park by buying merch.
When I can afford it, I pay a little bit more and/or get a coffee mug or a pin for my bag. I always drop a few dollars if the guides/rangers helped me in any way.
No lol
No.
But I think it’s OK to offer locals a discount on yearly passes or off seasons.
The yearly passes offered at a discount always have ‘blackout dates’ i.e. the most popular days for entry at the attraction are always omitted from use in such a case.
So the discounts for locals are a way to sell tickets or passes and bring money in when very few would otherwise go. (Winter, rainy season, weekdays, etc.)
>Should international visitors to national parks be charged more than Americans?
So the problem here is the falsehood in the question. These parks are not self sustaining from visitor fees. They are funded by taxpayers. Also big difference between national and state parks which are funded by state and county level taxes. If you pay taxes then why should you pay an admittance fee?
What? Why?
I generally think the main benefit of these tourists is to the surrounding communities economies, so it we can keep our National Parks funded and protected then we can continue to support our local economies with it.
Our state parks are free…
Purely because I always have to pay more when I go to sites in other countries, yes. (Not actually though – I’m cool with people being able to access our great nature – just salty that I have to pay extra for some historical sites in the EU and stuff because there’s no “reciprocal agreement”. Bruh that’s because everyone gets the same charge)
It sounds kinda bad to say an additional fee for foreigners, but if you make it a “discount” for US residents all of a sudden people will be in board. Despite it functionally being the same thing
No, BUT they should face a very hefty fine for any damages they willingly cause.
I hate to stereotype but Chinese tourists seem to ignore the rules in parks near me and don’t realize the damage they are causing. Three years ago a old woman permanently damaged a rock formation and pleaded ignorance… it was behind ropes and plenty of signs.. the signs I can get if you don’t read English, but the ropes?? No.
Absolutely.