U.S. National Parks Boom Is Great But Overtourism Solutions Needed Urgently, Say Senators
Photo Credit: Business being epic for the outdoors is great news post-pandemic, but the long-term survival of national parks depends on solving overcrowding issues while maintaining access for locals. The senate hearing is an encouraging step in that direction. Flickr Commons / National Park Service
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National Parks are being "loved to death" and solutions are urgently needed to manage, disperse, and educate crowds while increasing access for all.
The pandemic’s overtourism effect on the U.S. outdoors came into greater focus last summer, when a record number of crowds flocked to the U.S. national parks and surrounding gateway communities, many of whom as first-time visitors who’d never explored their backyard.
But it’s not the increase in visitation and outdoor economy boom that’s a bad thing per se — rather, the urgency lies in identifying and implementing crowd management strategies for the next five to 10 years in the most visited national parks, and these won't be "one size fits all."
That was the crux of what leaders in government, including National Park Service superintendents and tourism representatives, agreed to on Wednesday at the Senate Energy and Natural Resources’ Subcommittee on National Parks’ hearing to review the impacts of overcrowding on national parks and visitor experiences, and to listen to proposals for long-term solutions.
“It’s great to see so many Americans are taking advantage of
