National Park Service Implements International Visitor Surcharge

The National Park Service’s new international visitor – nonresident surcharge went into effect January 1, despite lingering questions and incomplete implementation guidance for commercial tour operators.

Just before the holidays, one important clarification emerged. In response to sustained advocacy by IITA and broad industry feedback, NPS confirmed that the America the Beautiful Non-Resident Annual Pass ($250) may now be used to cover the nonresident fee for up to 4 nonresidents age 16 and older when traveling as part of a commercial group tour.

IITA met again with NPS this week to seek further clarity. During that discussion, NPS officials confirmed they are actively working on solutions to reduce operational friction for both commercial tour operators and park staff. Key areas under review include bulk pass purchasing options and entrance gate procedures for verifying nonresident passengers on group tours.

At present, tour operators are still unable to purchase passes directly on behalf of their group tour passengers. However, NPS confirmed that each pass may be assigned by the tour operator to cover four individuals within a group tour and acknowledged the industry’s need for a streamlined process to purchase America the Beautiful International Passes in volume.

Background
International visitors – nonresidents age 16 and older – must pay a $100 nonresident surcharge, in addition to standard entrance fees, to access 11 major U.S. national parks unless they hold an eligible America the Beautiful International – Nonresident Pass. The affected parks include Acadia, Bryce Canyon, Everglades, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia & Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Zion National Parks.

IITA will continue updating its FAQs as additional guidance is released.

Finally, the Department of the Interior has requested industry data on the impact of the international visitor surcharge and increased pass pricing on commercial group tours. If you have not yet completed the survey, please do so by tomorrow – January 9. Your input is critical to informing ongoing discussions with federal decision-makers.