IITA Advocates for Group Tour Solution in National Parks Legislation

IITA continues to engage with Congress on implementation of the proposed National Park Service international visitor surcharge as lawmakers advance legislation to codify the fee.

Both the America the Beautiful Act (S. 1547) advancing from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the House Natural Resources Committee’s Great American Outdoors Act 250 (H.R. 9250) would extend the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund, which provides critical funding to address deferred maintenance and infrastructure needs across America's national parks and public lands. The Fund resulting from the original Great American Outdoors Act, signed into law in 2020 by President Trump, expired last fall.

IITA supports sustainable funding solutions that improve the visitor experience while protecting the resources that make our parks world-renowned destinations and therefore supports restoring the Legacy Restoration Fund.

However, both bills will codify the international visitor surcharge for national parks, which the industry has advocated against for a number of reasons, none the least of which is that implementation overall has been rocky and there still is no workable plan for commercial group tours. The latest legislation reflects several improvements from earlier drafts: 

• Provides greater flexibility for the Secretary of the Interior to establish surcharge levels based on individual park needs rather than imposing a fixed statutory fee,
• Requires opportunities for public input from gateway communities and stakeholders before surcharge levels are established or modified,
• Recognizes the complexity of collecting surcharges in a variety of operating environments and provides the National Park Service flexibility in implementation.

While these changes are positive steps forward, the legislation would direct the Secretary to establish an international visitor surcharge for any unit of the National Park System for which an entrance fee is charged, and significant implementation challenges remain for international group tours.

In collaboration with our tour association partners – NTA, SYTA, USTOA, UMA, U.S. Travel Association and ABA, we respectfully recommended that the Committees provide additional clarity regarding Authorized Commercial Group Tours.

Over the past year, IITA has worked extensively with the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, congressional offices, and coalition partners to identify practical solutions that recognize the unique way international group travel operates. Unlike individual travelers, group tours are sold months or years in advance, often include multiple national parks, and rely on efficient processes that can be implemented consistently across the park system.

To address these challenges, IITA has submitted recommendations to Senate and House committee leaders encouraging the creation of a dedicated commercial group tour surcharge option. Under the proposal, authorized commercial group tours would be able to pay a single surcharge based on the number of international visitors participating in the tour, with access covering multiple participating parks for the duration of the itinerary.

Such an approach would provide several important benefits:

• Greater certainty for international visitors and tour operators before travel.
• Reduced congestion and administrative burdens at park entrances.
• More efficient collection and verification processes for park staff.
• Consistent implementation across parks.
• A process aligned with how international group travel is contracted, sold, and operated.

Group travel remains one of the most efficient ways to deliver visitors to national parks. A single motorcoach can replace numerous rental vehicles, reduce congestion, and provide a more organized visitor experience while generating significant economic benefits for gateway communities, local businesses, and the broader U.S. visitor economy.

IITA appreciates the willingness of congressional leaders and National Park Service officials to engage in constructive discussions on these issues. We will continue advocating for practical solutions that support park funding needs while ensuring that international visitors and the businesses that serve them can navigate the system efficiently and predictably.

We will keep members informed as the legislation moves swiftly through Congress and additional implementation details become available.