US reopens landmark sites
Monday, 14 October 2013 9:58 AM
The Statue of Liberty has now reopened
US tourist sites including New York’s Statue of Liberty and the Grand Canyon in Arizona, have reopened, after state officials agree on deals with the federal government.
The governors of Arizona, New York and South Dakota said in separate statements on Friday that they had reached agreements with the federal government to reopen their parks between Saturday and Monday.
The states will now fund their own attractions and are likely to be reimbursed after the shutdown and other states are looking into see if they can afford to keep their parks open too.
The Grand Canyon, which attracts nearly 5 million visitors a year, reopened on Saturday after a deal was reached with the federal government to pay the National Park Service $651,000 to resume operations for seven days, using state money.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said his state had agreed to reopen Liberty Island National Park and to keep it open during the shutdown at a cost of $61,600 per day. “The Statue of Liberty is one of this country's most recognizable landmarks, attracting millions of visitors to the state every year, and its closure these last 11 days has had a terrible impact on the local economy and tourism industry," Cuomo said in a statement.
South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard also reached an agreement to reopen the Mount Rushmore monument honoring U.S. presidents on using private donations.
401 National Park Service attractions across the United States shut their doors to visitors on October 1 after the U.S. Congress and the White House failed to reach agreement on raising the nation's debt limit, causing a national shutdown.
