Industry insiders say uncertainty around park access is causing travelers to hold off on bookings or cancel plans entirely.
After recent years of overcrowding, this summer might be a good time to visit your favorite national park, and you can thank Elon Musk and Big Balls for that. Tourist reservations at key hot spots around the United States have reportedly fallen off amid turmoil in the National Park Service, which was recently hit by DOGE-fueled layoffs of more than 1,000 staff. The cuts have been temporarily rolled back following legal challenges, but uncertainty remains.
Business Insider spoke with park advocates and business owners around the country, and the conclusion is that the public is taking a wait-and-see approach to the upcoming summer season. One hotelier near Yosemite told the website that his three resorts are down 1,000 bookings over last year. On the east coast, near the Cape Cod National Seashore, hotel reservations are reportedly down approximately 5% for the peak season. The typical booking season runs from January through March.
It is possible some of this has to do with broader economic uncertainty, but Business Insider identified other more direct reasons.
One of the biggest concerns cited that could be keeping people away is the NPS’s decision to suspend its reservation system, which required visitors to book a set time and day they could visit the park. “Knowing whether there would be a reservation system or not has made it difficult for people to plan trips — why book a hotel room when you can’t be certain you’ll even be able to get into the park on the days you’re there?” NPS has not said whether it will bring back the reservation system for the fast-approaching summer season.
