News Release

Concession Contract Solicitation for Passenger Ferry Service Canceled

Date: February 24, 2021
Contact: Jerry Willis, [phone]

Liberty Island, NY – The National Park Service (NPS) announced today the cancellation of the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island concession contract solicitation for passenger ferry transportation (CC-STLI001-20). The cancellation is due to the extended impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on visitation and the resultant disruption to the business opportunity advertised in the solicitation.

Any offers that the NPS received from the current solicitation were based on operating assumptions that are no longer valid due to the travel and public gathering restrictions that resulted from the pandemic. The deadline to receive offers was November 4, 2019. The park closed due to NY State COVID-19 restrictions on March 16, 2020. A phased reopening began on July 20, 2020, with a grounds-only experience, and both museums reopened on August 24, 2020, with only a fraction of typical visitation. The statue remains closed.

The NPS will conduct further planning and analysis of the ferry operations and plan to announce a new solicitation for the Statue of Liberty passenger ferry services at a future date.

Concurrent with the cancellation of the contract solicitation, the NPS is entering into a three-year contract (TC-STLI001-21) with the current concessioner, Statue Cruises, LLC, for the period beginning March 1, 2021, and ending February 29, 2024. The contract is to provide for continued ferry services to Liberty and Ellis Islands from Liberty State Park in New Jersey and Battery Park in New York Ticket prices of $23.50 (adult), $12.00 (child 4-12 years), and $18 (62 and over) will go into effect March 1, 2021. These ticket prices include the price of the audio tour and compare favorably with the costs of similar attractions/experiences in the greater New York region based on market research conducted by the NPS. 

- NPS -