WASHINGTON, D.C. (WTWO/WAWV)— Senator Jim Banks introduced a new act aimed at charging foreign visitors more money to visit the National Parks of the United States.
The new act is entitled the “Protecting America’s Treasures by Raising Inflow from Overseas Tourists (PATRIOT) Parks” Act. This act would amend the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act to increase foreign visitor fees at the country’s National Parks and standardize it across the board.
The release from Senator Banks’ office states that this change codifies the president’s “Make America Beautiful Again by Improving Our National Parks” executive order that was signed on July 3.
“Americans already pay for our parks through federal taxes on top of standard admission fees, so it’s fair to ask foreign visitors to chip in more,” said Banks. “This bill codifies President Trump’s executive order and helps protect our national treasures for future generations.”
The release states that the surcharge fees would be used to help fix park maintenance issues. It also states that the fees would likely be double the usual for those visiting from outside the United States. It will also allow local park leaders to decide how much they want to add to their fees based on the park, revenue balance, and visitors.
The act will also direct all money from entry fees to be used on fixing and maintaining the park through the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund. It will also allow the surcharges to be collected through the current park systems or with help from travel and lodging businesses. Parks will also be able to raise, lower, or pause fees based on seasonal or local visitation.
The release from the Senator’s Office claims that 36 counties are already imposing a foreign visitor fee and that the National Park Service currently requires $23 billion in road, trail, and visitor area repair. The release also states that parks received 331.9 million visits last year in 2024.
To read the full text of the bill, you can click here.
