Gateway Community and Recreation Enhancement Act

The Gateway Community and Recreation Enhancement Act (HR 3200) helps communities near federal recreation areas - like national parks and forests - manage tourism impacts. It requires the Interior and Agriculture Secretaries to assess local needs (such as housing shortages and infrastructure demands) and provide financial or technical assistance to businesses (e.g., hotels, campgrounds) to support sustainable visitation. The bill also establishes a unified system for tracking annual visitor numbers, launches a pilot program for real-time visitation data at 20+ recreation sites, and mandates a digital version of national park passes by January 2024. These changes directly affect gateway communities, federal land managers, and tourism businesses, aiming to distribute visitor traffic more evenly and improve data transparency.