One month into the federal government shutdown, tour operators report that national park itineraries are proceeding as planned. Parks are mostly open and accessible.
Tauck said that no itinerary changes have been needed and that park tours have operated smoothly. Kelly Rossiter, Tauck’s associate director of product for North America, said Xanterra, which handles concessions for some parks, has continued maintaining restrooms and public areas.
Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion, Yosemite and Sequoia national parks are operating normally, she said.
Intrepid Travel and the Globus family of brands also reported that their tours have faced no operational issues because of the shutdown.
Amanda Neiman, Intrepid’s operations director for North America, said the company’s Urban Adventures day tour collection in Washington has been even busier than usual, a result of many museums being shuttered in the nation’s capital.
“With fewer rangers and programs available, small-group travel fills that gap in a really meaningful way,” she said.
National park gateway communities reported a mixed bag of impacts.
The Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity has footed the bill for visitor centers at the state’s five national parks to remain open. As a result, Zion has not seen a drop in visitation, said Jamie Allen, grant funding and operations manager at the Greater Zion Convention & Tourism Office.
But Montana’s Visit Big Sky said it has observed a drop in visitors, though CEO Brad Niva said actual visitor numbers weren’t yet available.
This is generally a slower time of year in Big Sky, Niva said, after Yellowstone’s summer season has slowed and before ski season takes off. But the community was seeing a larger-than-normal decline, which he said is likely driven by the perception that parks are closed.
“Visitors in general are sensitive,” he said. As an example, he said, if a Paris-bound traveler found out the Eiffel Tower would be closed, “would you stop and kind of go, ‘Wow, maybe we shouldn’t do this trip.’ And so that’s exactly what we think is occurring here.”
