In the 2010s, national park media visibility grew by over 3,900 percent, driven mostly by tourism-oriented articles referencing multiple national parks, according to a 2026 research study (attached) looking at 426,000 digital media articles. During the same time period, national park visitation increased by 29 percent, and federal budget support for parks declined by 15 percent.
Because much of the current national park media attention focuses on tourism, the study points out that “ecotourism marketing has displaced public attention from critical issues associated with environmental, wildfire and wildlife management.” This hyper focus on tourism may intensify tensions with the dual mandate of the Park Service to preserve environmental and cultural resources for future generations and to ensure their public accessibility for recreational enjoyment.
The study notes that articles associated with tourism grew dramatically following the 2007–2008 financial crisis, which disrupted the news media industry, giving rise to high-throughput content production and pay-per-click advertising. The researchers did not observe similar media production increases associated with fire, climate, safety, and wildlife management.
The increase in tourism-oriented messaging, which is likely designed primarily to stimulate visitation, according to the study, may increase challenges related to the management of parks by reducing the efficacy of messaging around conservation and responsible park use. The researchers underscore that tourism media messages are overwhelming media topics relevant to effective park management, including those related to natural disasters, recreational safety, and endangered wildlife.
“While supporting tourism is central to the NPS dual mandate, achieving a more balanced media discourse that equally emphasizes conservation and stewardship is critical for fostering responsible and sustainable visitation,” states the study
Even as national park media coverage has increased, leading to an increase in visitation, federal funding has decreased, leaving many parks understaffed. The study notes that recent estimates show that there is one park ranger per 27.7 square miles in North American parks, which will need to increase to 1 ranger per 2 square miles to meet recommended standards. For parks featuring relatively high levels of visitation growth, even this may not be enough.
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