WASHINGTON – A partial U.S. federal government shutdown is disrupting travel plans for tourists across teh โฃcountry, โฃforcing the closure of numerous nationalโ parks, โฃmuseums, andโ iconic landmarks. The closures โคare leaving international visitors,โค like an โAustralian coupleโฃ who traveled over 10,000 miles, deeply disappointed.
Karl Williams of Perth, Australia, and his wife, Jane, โขhad planned a U.S. vacation centeredโ around visiting the Gateway Arch โin St. Louis, โMissouri. The 192-metre-high arch, locatedโ on the banks of the Mississippi River, was a long-held dream destination โคfor williams. However, upon arrival on Sunday, October 4th, they discovered the attraction was closed due to the government shutdown, as reported by ABC News.
“We didn’tโ know until we arrived there,” williams said. โHeโ noted the couple, along with others, were surprised to find the โฃlandmark โinaccessible.
The Williams’ experiance is โrepresentative of a broader impact. The shutdown, stemmingโค from a โขlack โof federal funding, has resulted in approximately 800,000 federal employees being placed on unpaid โleave. This includes staff at airports, customs, national parks, and museums.
While the โU.S. remains open to international travelers according toโฃ the Department of homeland Security’s contingency plan, essential personnel โlike air traffic controllers and TSA officers are working without pay. A similar shutdown nearly seven years ago led to hundreds of flight cancellations and delays due to staff shortages.
Currently, โnational parks remain accessible, โbut visitor centers are โฃclosed.โฃ Previous โคshutdowns โhave resulted in notable issues within parks, including overflowing toilets, accumulated garbage, and damage to sites like Yosemite, Yellowstone, andโข the Grandโข Canyon when โthey were left unstaffed.
Several โขkey tourist โขattractions โare โcurrently closed,including theโค Liberty Bell and the U.S. Botanical Gardens. The Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museumโ complex with locations in Washington D.C. and New โคYorkโ City, will close its โdoors to the public after โOctober 6th.
Williamsโข and his โฃwife are nowโค uncertain about the accessibility of other planned stopsโ on their month-long itinerary, including the Smithsonian โMuseum in Washington, the โNational museum โคin New โคYork, and attractions in Chicago.โ “I assume those places willโ not open. We have to liveโ it, I guess,” he said.
