Next Solar Eclipse, In April, Expected to Attract Upwards Of 4 Million Tourists

December 24, 2023
Millions of people are expected to travel in April to catch the next complete solar eclipse that crosses the continent/NPS file
Millions of people are expected to travel in April to catch the next complete solar eclipse that crosses the continent/NPS file

While this year's annular solar eclipse didn't attract as many folks as some chamber bureaus along the route expected, the upcoming total solar eclipse that arrives in April could prompt as many as 4 million people to travel to areas in the eclipse's path of totality hoping to catch the event. 

According to the staff at Great American Eclipse, "31 million Americans currently live inside the path of totality, and millions more will travel on eclipse day to witness nature's greatest sight."

"It will likely be the most-viewed astronomical event in American history. When you combine the populations of Mexico, USA, and Canada that live inside the path of totality, and add all of those who will travel on eclipse day, a total of 50 million North Americans witnessing totality is possible," said Michael Zeiler, expert eclipse cartographer and co-founder of Great American Eclipse.

"It's like having 50 Super Bowls happening at the same time all across the country," added Great American Eclipse co-founder Polly White.

The path of totality on April 8, 2024, will take in a handful of National Park System sites.

According to data compiled by the National Park Service, a handful of parks will experience a complete solar eclipse on that day, with Waco Mammoth National Monument in Texas expected to be in the dark for 4 minutes, 18 seconds. Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park, also in Texas, will be right behind, with 4 minutes, 13 seconds of totality.

In the United States, the total eclipse is predicted to stretch from Texas on an arc through Ohio and upstate New York into  Maine, where it will cross Kathadin Woods and Waters National Monument.

You can check out the route, and the time of totality in specific parks, at this website.

Great American Eclipse has developed a geographic model to estimate how many people will travel to see the April eclipse. This model predicts that between 1 and 4 million people will travel to the path of totality. Texas is expected to receive the majority of visitors, followed by Indiana, Ohio, New York, Arkansas, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Oklahoma, Maine, and New Hampshire, the group said.

While you can plan for crowds, one thing you can't plan for are cloudy skies that would minimize the eclipse's impact.

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