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 You and I and our fellow taxpaying citizens are looked upon as being merely "customers" by the leadership of the National Park Service. By way of contrast, industry groups such as the National Tour Association (NTA), are recognized to be "partners". The difference is starkly depicted in what I'm about to share.
NTA is, or so their lobbyist Jim Santini stated when testifying before the House of Representatives in support of increasing National Park entrance fees and in support of the Recreation Fee Demonstration Program, "a Lexington, Kentucky-based international package travel association of 627 companies." NTA is also a member of the American Recreation Coalition. You can read his testimony here.
And if you scroll up that page, you can read the testimony of the ARC's President, Derrick Crandall.
Today in an industry publication we learned that while National Park entrance fees for the public have risen dramatically and will continue to increase, entrance fees charged to NTA members have not gone up. In fact, those low fees are now guaranteed not to increase for several more years. NTA described their special arrangement in these words:
"The National Tour Association and the National Park Service have been able to ensure that visitors have equal access to the national parks due to a longstanding partnership between the two groups. As a result of recent meetings with NTA and the park service, there will be no increases in National Park group entry fees until 2010."
That doesn't sound like "equal access" to me.
You can read the entire article below. You can also find below that a posting made by an NTA representative to an NTA electronic bulletin board. The posting is titled "NPS Entrance Fees Impact Consumers, Not Operators" and goes on to tell NTA members that:
"NTA has a longstanding partnership with the Park Service, and has continued to work on behalf of its members on issues related to visitation and fees at these treasured landmarks."
Does this sound like "equal access" to you?
Scott
--- begin quoted ---
September 26, 2007
No increases in national parks entry fees say NTA
The National Tour Association and the National Park Service have been
able to ensure that visitors have equal access to the national parks
due to a longstanding partnership between the two groups. As a result
of recent meetings with NTA and the park service, there will be no
increases in National Park group entry fees until 2010.
"NTA continues to work on behalf of its members on issues related to
visitation and fees at these treasured national sites," said NTA
Chairman and CEO Randy Julian. "NTA appreciates the conscientious
effort by NPS to respond to the Department of Interior`s directive to
insure that the agency receives public input whenever their agency
decision- making will directly impact one of their private sector
partners."
While entrance fees for individual travelers did increase in 2007 at
many park sites, and will increase in 2008 and 2009 at additional
sites, NTA and NPS have worked to ensure that group fees will remain at
the current rates until 2010. Additionally, the industry will be
notified of the 2010 rates by August 2008.
NTA Vice Chairman Bob Hoelscher, CTP, is a longtime park advocate and
plans on building on the cooperative efforts between NTA and the NPS
during his year as NTA chairman in 2008.
"While NPS has historically agreed to give NTA at least 12 months
notice of any group fee increases, they built extra lead time so that
tour operators can adequately prepare for the 2010 increase," said
Hoelscher. "Additionally, NTA will participate in the process that will
ultimately determine what those 2010 rates will be, as well as how they
will be configured."
"The opportunity for timely input has prevented serious financial and
operational hardships for NTA tour operators and their clients," added
Julian. "It is rewarding to work with our park service partners on fee
and management regulations before they are locked in."
Sara Morton
National Tour Association
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NPS Entrance Fees Impact Consumers, Not Operators
Posted - 06/01/2007 : 11:36:05
In an article in the May 22 issue of Tuesday, NTA reported that the
U.S. National Park Service had clarified what is happening with
entrance fees for its sites in 2007-08. NTA initiated a conference call
between the association and NPS leaders, on which NPS officials gave
assurance that the flat commericial fees tour operators and motorcoach
companies pay are not going up in 2007 and that they would honor their
commitment to give NTA at least 12 months notice of any increase in
commerical fees.
Even though rates aren't going up for tour operators, individual
visitors are seeing increases in NPS site admission and parking fees.
Additionally, the cost of annual park passes has gone up for 2007 for
individuals.
NTA has a longstanding partnership with the Park Service, and has
continued to work on behalf of its members on issues related to
visitation and fees at these treasured landmarks. For many years, the
two groups also have teamed up on program development and visitor
enhancement projects at NPS sites. Currently NTA leaders are helping
NPS and American Recreation Coalition officials develop iPod audio
tours for one of America's Scenic Byways, the George Washington
Memorial Parkway.
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- Land management 
