Industry News
President Trump continued advancing his domestic agenda by signing two more executive orders regarding National Parks. On July 3, President Trump signed an executive order, Making America Beautiful Again by Improving Our National Parks, that will increase the cost for foreign tourists to visit the parks. In a related move, Trump also signed the executive order, Establishing the President’s Make America Beautiful Again Commission. “Years of mismanagement, regulatory overreach, and neglect of routine maintenance require action,” President Trump’s executive order stated. It also notes that the Presidential Memorandum of January 12, 2017, Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in Our National Parks, National Forests, and Other Public Lands and Waters is hereby revoked.
These orders direct the Secretary of the Interior to increase fees only for foreign visitors, while making national parks more affordable and enjoyable for American families. The order states that the Secretary of the Interior and Agriculture will work together to improve services and affordability for United States residents visiting national parks. The executive orders also propose cutting more than $1 billion from the Park Service budget in fiscal 2026, which would represent a reduction of more than a third of the agency’s budget from the prior year. This raises concerns about funding and the effective execution of running these parks.
“It is the policy of my administration to preserve these opportunities for American families in future generations by increasing entry fees for foreign tourists, improving affordability for United States residents, and expanding opportunities to enjoy America’s splendid national treasures.”
— President Trump
It is unclear how many of the agency’s 433 park units would be affected. Only about 100 sites managed by the Park Service currently charge admission fees, and those fees vary. According to the executive order, the Secretary of the Interior shall develop a strategy to increase revenue and improve the recreational experience at national parks by appropriately increasing entrance fees and recreation pass fees for nonresidents in areas of the National Park System that charge entrance fees or recreation pass fees. The goal is to raise hundreds of millions in conservation funding through increased entry fees for foreign tourists.
President Trump’s executive orders aim to revamp the National Park system by making parks more accessible and affordable for American families, while leveraging increased entrance fees on foreign tourists to fund necessary improvements and conservation efforts. Proponents argue that this approach could generate much-needed revenue for infrastructure upgrades and enhance the domestic visitor experience.
However, the significant proposed budget cuts, alongside ongoing staff shortages, raise serious concerns about the National Park Service’s ability to maintain operations and deliver on these promises. Additionally, revoking the 2017 diversity and inclusion memorandum may be seen as a step backward in efforts to ensure equitable access and representation in public lands. Ultimately, while the vision to “Make America Beautiful Again” emphasizes national pride and domestic investment, the long-term impact will depend heavily on how these changes are implemented and whether funding shortfalls and workforce challenges can be effectively addressed.
