Last week, the American Bus Association led a coalition letter of industry partners, including the International Inbound Travel Association (IITA), National Tour Association (NTA), and U.S. Travel Association (USTA), to policymakers regarding the ongoing development of the Great American Outdoors Act 250 (HR 9250) – legislation intended to improve access and infrastructure across the nation’s public lands system.
The letter reaffirmed the industry’s commitment to ensuring that national parks remain accessible, sustainable, and enjoyable for future generations, as well as our understanding of the need to generate revenue to fund key infrastructure investments, but raised concerns over the inclusion of non-resident visitor fees on commercial tour passengers and the need to include language that would ensure annual national reporting on commercial activity across the national park system.
America’s public lands are among our nation’s greatest assets, and investments that improve visitor experiences, preserve natural resources, and address deferred maintenance challenges are critical. While we understand the need to raise revenue to fund this important work, proposals to expand per-passenger non-resident or commercial entrance fees as a funding mechanism would negatively impact commercial tour operators, visitors, and gateway communities that depend on tourism.
Early engagement with committee staff, policymakers, and stakeholders has already resulted in the successful removal of draft language that would have drastically increased commercial tour fees, posing serious challenges to tour operators and their passengers. This was a significant victory for our members and helped prevent additional costs from being placed on commercial tour operators who facilitate access to our national parks for millions of visitors each year.
In addition to opposing new fee structures, ABA continues to encourage policymakers to incorporate language directing the National Park Service (NPS) to conduct annual, systemwide reporting on commercial tour activity across the NPS. Reliable and consistent nationwide data regarding commercial visitation, transportation patterns, economic impact, and visitor access is essential to inform policymaking. Such reporting would provide Congress, park managers, and stakeholders with valuable information to better understand visitation trends, evaluate policy outcomes, and support future decision-making regarding commercial access and park operations.
The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, which has jurisdiction over the bill, is voting on the legislation this week, marking a key procedural milestone that will tee it up for a vote before the full Senate. ABA remains actively engaged with both committees and key congressional offices and will continue to monitor developments, advocate for policies that protect our members, and ensure the voice of the commercial tour and motorcoach industry remains part of the conversation as this legislation moves forward.