Statue of Liberty makes moves to combat overtourism

The Statue of Liberty is the latest tourist attraction to take measures to prevent overcrowding.

The statue, which sits on New York City’s Liberty Island, is one of New York’s most visited attractions.

To prevent overcrowding, commercial private tours of the Statue will be banned. Though only about 4% of travelers use tours like these instead of arranging visits on their own, these large groups often result in overcrowding, blocked pathways and exhibits and other issues.

In the past 10 years, there’s been a 600% increase in commercially guided tours, reports the National Park Service, which manages the site.

“Commercial guided tours add to the congestion in these identified areas and prevent the free flow of visitor movement and impact public programs and the visitor experience,” a representative for the Statue of Liberty Park, a national monument managed by the National Parks System, told CNN Travel in a statement.

“The new restrictions are no different to policies in place at highly visited cultural institutions in and around New York City such as the 9/11 Memorial & Museum and busy National Park Service sites across the nation including Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia and Golden Gate Recreation Area (including Alcatraz) in San Francisco.”

Wythe Hotel: Retrofitted into a former cooperage that was built in 1901, the Wythe Hotel has been doing its vintage-meets-modern thing since 2012.

Wythe Hotel: Housed in a former factory built in 1901, the Wythe Hotel retains the building's original pine beams and factory windows.

Le Crocodile: A large patio welcomes diners and invites them to enjoy classic and innovative French fare at the restaurant located in the Wythe Hotel.

Le Crocodile: Roast chicken is one of the restaurant's signature dishes -- and with good reason.

Hotel Indigo Williamsburg: The property, which has entrances on both the North and South sides of Williamsburg neighborhood, is not your typical hotel skyscraper.

Hotel Indigo Williamsburg: Even the standard rooms at this hotel are generously-sized. Many come with cool views of North Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Hotel Indigo Williamsburg: The hotel's prime location means you never have to leave the borough.

The Hoxton Williamsburg: Summerly is the appropriately-named rooftop restaurant with a panoramic terrace. In winter you can stay warm with outdoor heaters.

The Hoxton Williamsburg: Common spaces are generously sized so there's more than enough room for neighborhood locals to while away the day next to hotel guests. The coffee and pastry bar is just a few feet away.

The Hoxton Williamsburg: The property features 175 bedrooms spread across three categories: Cosy, Cosy with a View and Roomy.

McCarren Hotel & Pool: The hotel offers upscale but spare mid-century design and Nespresso machines in every suite.

McCarren Hotel & Pool: Brooklyn's trendy hotel scene attracts visitors from around the world, though at the moment, it's mainly New Yorkers looking for a change of scenery.

Pod Brooklyn: A micro-hotel, this outpost has shared or single rooms and fun, bright design.

The Hilton Brooklyn: This new property in Brooklyn's Boerum Hill neighborhood was once a rope factory and that theme is carried throughout the property.

The Hilton Brooklyn: The carpet design in the rooms has hints of interlocking ropes, reflecting the building's history. In some areas, custom-made wallpaper depicts shipbuilding scenes.

The Williamsburg Hotel: The hotel has comfortable, homey rooms, many of which have incredible views of Manhattan's skyline.

The Williamsburg Hotel: The plush rooms have brass fixtures in the bathrooms, quilted leather headboards and velvet couches, and yet pets are still welcome.

The William Vale: This 22-story, 183-room Williamsburg hotel offers sweeping views of Manhattan and Brooklyn.

The William Vale: Even guests who don't book the Gotham Corner Suite at this property can enjoy the view because every room has a balcony.

1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge: The hotel is known for its incomparable views of the Brooklyn Bridge as well as lower Manhattan.

1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge: Many of the hotel's materials are local or reclaimed, including pine beams from the former Domino Sugar factory in nearby Williamsburg.

Photos: Brooklyn's hot hotels

Prev Next

One of the new restrictions is that commercial guided services are not permitted inside the new Statue of Liberty Museum and the sixth-floor pedestal observation level of the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island, as well as inside the National Museum of Immigration at Ellis Island.

An exception to the rule is during inclement weather, such as hailstorms or sleet, when leaders of these groups are allowed inside the baggage room at the Museum of Immigration to give their guests a basic site orientation.

The new guidelines go into effect on May 19.

Why that date? It happens to be when the brand-new Statue of Liberty Museum opens to the public on Liberty Island. The museum will be home to the Statue’s original torch, which has not been on public display since the 1980s.

In addition to being one of the United States’ most iconic landmarks, the Statue – full name Liberty Enlightening the World – was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1984.

Not everyone is meeting the Statue of Liberty news with open arms, however. Several tour guides have spoken up about the new ruling, saying they were not given time to come up with a backup plan or work on an agreement that suited all parties.

One longtime guide, Tom Bernadin, told The New York Times that “this is basically ending my career, if they enforce this.”

Correction: The original version of this story mistakenly reported that there had been a 600% increase in tourists to the Statue of Liberty in the past 10 years. The 600% refers specifically to the increase in commercially guided tours (that is, groups that come to the islands with a paid guide).