GRAND CANYON — Businesses that depend on Grand Canyon National Park say a $100 surcharge on foreign visitors that took effect this year is cutting into international tourism, KNAU reported Friday.
Chris Kelly, who co-owns Grand Canyon Journeys with his wife, said the company normally books about 10 tours a year for German-speaking travelers. Through October, it had one, with none on the calendar for the rest of 2026. “We’re not seeing the international travelers anymore in the amount that we used to see,” he told the station.
The surcharge is on top of the park’s regular entrance fee, which runs from $20 for a pedestrian to $35 for a private vehicle. It applies at 11 of the country’s 63 national parks, including Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite and Zion.
President Donald Trump directed the Interior Department in a July 2025 executive order to raise fees for non-U.S. residents. The National Park Service set the amount in November 2025, and it took effect in January. The White House has described the fee as a matter of fairness to U.S. taxpayers who already fund the parks.
An Arizona tour company has sued to block the surcharge, calling it “unprecedented and unlawful” in a Sept. 28 court filing.
Sources: KNAU. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Mgimelfarb / CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.
