Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone … The American president signed a decree to increase the entrance rates for foreign visitors to the national parks of the United States.
Donald Trump announced on Thursday an increase in the prices for entry into national parks for foreign tourists in order to make these places “more affordable” for the Americans. “I have just signed a decree to increase the entrance fees for foreign tourists while maintaining the low prices for the Americans,” said the American president in Iowa during a rally launching the year of festivities for the 250th anniversary of the United States.
“In national parks, it will be America first,” said Donald Trump, before affirming that the revenues generated will be used to improve the infrastructure of the vast network of national parks in the United States.
Several environmental defense organizations have however alarmed hundreds of layoffs among the staff of the national parks since Donald Trump returned to the White House last January, worried about the high season of summer attendance began.
About sixty national parks
The United States is home to sixty national parks, managed by the National Park Service (NPS). Unlike French national parks, entry is paid in American national parks and a reservation is sometimes necessary for certain periods of the year. Currently, the entry rate varies between 25 and 35 dollars (between 21.2 and 29.7 euros) per park and by car for a period of seven days. An annual pass at 80 dollars (67.9 euros) gives it access to all national parks.
According to NPS data, American national parks welcomed just over 94 million visitors in 2024, American and non-Americans. There are some emblematic national parks of the United States, such as the Great Smoky Mountains (12.19 million visitors), the Grand Canyon (4.92 million), Yellowstone (4.74 million), Yosemite (4.12 million), Acadia (3.96 million), the Death Valley (1.44 million) or the volcanoes of Hawaii (1.43 million).
