
NTA Receives Clarification on National Park Fee Increase
September 28, 2005
NTA Receives Clarification on National Park Fee Increase
September 28, 2005 – The National Tour Association has received clarification on an announcement made this week from the National Park Service. There will be no change for motorcoach and group tours to entrances fees in 2006.
The announcement stated that 17 sites in the National Park Service’s Intermountain Region, which covers eight states, would raise entrance fees in 2006. This however, only applies to individual park visitors.
NTA currently has a long standing agreement with NPS that requires at least 12 months notice to the commercial tourism industry for any fee increases. The 12-month notice is critical to factor in computing the basic costs for a tour package to any national park sites.
"Commercial tour rates have not changed since 1997. While there will likely be a fee increase in the future, this will not come until 2007 at the earliest," NTA Legislative Council, Jim Santini, said. "NTA has cooperated with the National Park Service for more than 20 years. We will continue to advocate for equitable and reasonable entrances fees to the national parks with appropriate notice."
The National Tour Association has nearly 4,000 tourism professional members from 28 countries involved in the growth and development of the packaged travel industry. Its membership includes tour operators – group, independent, inbound and outbound – and the destinations and suppliers that partner with them. The association is committed to providing business results and information to its members, while offering a collaborative, caring environment in which to build relationships. For more information, please visit http://www.ntaonline.com/.
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