The United States has long been one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, with its national parks among the biggest attractions. But several national travel organizations are sounding the alarm about a noticeable dip in foreign tourism.
Last year, international visitor arrivals to the U.S. fell 5.4%, according to the U.S. Travel Association (USTA). The organization worries that 2026 will be even worse. That trend also directly impacts national parks.
Bookings in 2026 are down 40% from Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, according to Intrepid Travel, an Australia-based travel agency that now collaborates with REI on guided outdoor trips, often to national parks. Cazenove+Loyd, a UK-based travel agency, has also ended plans for park-based trips to Montana, Washington, and California.
“We’re staying optimistic that visitation to the parks will rebound in the summer,” Leigh Barnes, Intrepid Travel president for The Americas, told GearJunkie. “Major events like the World Cup and America 250 will help rebuild travel confidence and demand.”
However, if the Trump administration continues to expand adversarial policies toward foreign travelers, the downward trend is likely to continue, according to multiple travel groups and parks advocates.
Fewer Foreigners Planning Park Trips
By most accounts, the aversion to foreign travel to the U.S. began with Canada. After President Trump referred to America’s northern neighbor as the “51st state” and ended a longstanding free trade agreement, Canadians’ interest in visiting the U.S. waned considerably.
In January 2026, Canadian residents’ return trips from the United States were down 24.3% from January 2025, according to Statistics Canada. That slump is now evident in other regions as well. From Europe alone, the U.S. saw 1 million fewer visitors in January 2026 than in January 2025, a dip of more than 5%, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
‘America First’ Policies
The White House also instituted several “America First” policies that have made foreign travel to the U.S. more expensive. In November, the administration raised the non-resident entrance fee for many national parks to $100. That means a family of four international visitors must now pay $400 to enter the country’s most popular parks.
The change has already had consequences for national park tourism, according to the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA).
“International tour companies report cancellations and delayed bookings due to the non-resident surcharge,” the NPCA wrote in a statement. “Lodges and adventure tour operators are seeing declines and fear long-term impacts. Gateway communities are concerned and have expressed a need for more time to assess the policy’s effects on local tourism.”
However, a White House spokesperson denied that those policies would have any negative impact on tourism.
“President Trump has done more for American tourism than anyone, including by making our cities safe and beautiful again for all to enjoy and bringing major events like the Los Angeles Olympics and FIFA World Cup to the United States,” spokesperson Anna Kelly said. “His America First agenda has restored our country’s place as the leader of the free world once again — making it the best place to live or visit.”
Increased Barriers to Foreign Tourists
However, more recent White House announcements have only made foreign travel more uncertain, according to Spencer Dobkin, a spokesperson for the U.S. Travel Association.
That includes the $250 “visa integrity fee” that was created as part of President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” The fee applies to most non-immigrant visas, including tourist visas, making visits to the U.S. more expensive for most international travelers.
“International bookings to the U.S. are down, and we take that seriously,” Dobkin told GearJunkie. “It’s a direct hit to American jobs and communities that want to welcome travelers — from gateway cities to the rural economies surrounding America’s national parks.
“Perception is one of the reasons: too many potential visitors no longer believe they will be welcomed, driven by heated rhetoric and proposed policies like a $250 visa fee and social media screening requirements that we are actively fighting to prevent.”
The latter point stems from a December proposal from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Under the proposed Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), foreign tourists would need to provide 5 years of social media history, among other entry requirements.
That proposal has already led to a complaint from the Global Travel Business Association. It said “the changes pose significant risks,” and could “undermine” international travel to the U.S. Increased entry requirements are also likely to impact the hotel industry. CoStar and Tourism Economics have downgraded their U.S. hotel performance forecast for 2025.
In its 2025 annual report, Hilton listed numerous risks to its “forward-looking statements,” including “uncertainty resulting from U.S. and global political trends, tariffs and other policies, including potential barriers to travel, trade, and immigration, and other geopolitical events.”
Americans Still Visiting the Parks
While international visitation to U.S. national parks may be down, the country’s residents haven’t stopped visiting. Overall, visitation to the national park system decreased only slightly in 2025 compared to 2024 (0.6%). And that slight dip can likely be explained by the longest government shutdown in history, during which many parks remained open without workers to collect entrance fees or count visitors.
National park tours offered by private operators also haven’t decreased. Both the Sierra Club and Kensington Tours told GearJunkie they didn’t experience a slump in bookings for 2025 or 2026.
But even as national parks continue to see high visitation overall, funding for the National Park Service continues to be cut. After firing a quarter of the NPS workforce in 2025, the Trump administration is aiming for even steeper cuts in 2026. In a policy meeting this week with the Outdoor Alliance, leaders in outdoor recreation suggested that those concerned about funding for national parks should contact their local representatives.
According to Jamie Ervin, Outdoor Alliance’s senior policy manager, “It’s really important to be reaching out to your members of Congress right now.”
