Dollywood is one of the more popular theme parks in the United States, with around 3.5 million people visiting in 2023. While this is only a fraction of the 17 or so million people who visit Magic Kingdom each year, Dollywood is still a major tourist destination and a really fun park to visit.
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Unfortunately, Dollywood could experience some problems this fall that affect the customer experience. And these could be part of a broader industry-wide trend that affects amusement park visitors at many parks across the United States.
Here's what's happening at Dollywood, along with some details on why theme parks and other tourist areas could face a similar challenge.
Image source: George Rose/Getty Images
Dollywood could face an impending worker shortage
Dollywood could experience operational challenges this fall as a result of a labor shortage. And that shortage could come from new obstacles in the process of obtaining visas.
Dollywood is located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, a huge tourist town in Sevier County. In addition to Dollywood, this area also provides access to the Smoky Mountains, which is another very popular area.
In total, around 11 million people visit Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville each year — the three main tourist towns in that part of the country.
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Many of these tourists are served by international workers, with an estimated 2,500 international students coming to Sevier County on an annual basis. That's half of the total number of international student workers who come to Tennessee annually.
International workers fill temporary positions both at Dollywood and at the many local hotels in the area. They are only allowed to do entry-level work, and they are paid the same as locals. But they play a vital role, doing jobs that need to be filled.
In Dollywood alone, for example, around 10% of all of the employees at the theme park are international students.
These students work as:
- Cashiers
- Culinary workers
- Resort team members
However, there may not be as many of these international workers due to visa challenges.
International visas are harder to come by for Dollywood and other tourist areas
Dollywood and other tourist agencies typically rely on the H-2B Visa program to help fill their need for temporary or seasonal workers. Employers submit a request to the Department of Labor for H-2 Visa workers, which has to approve it, and employers cover most of the costs of the visa.
However, there have been some big changes to the program that are causing problems.
According to Department of Labor data:
- 149 H-2B visas have been approved out of 879 requested as of August 7, 2025.
- More than 700 H-2B visas have been denied or withdrawn.
By comparison, there were zero denied or withdrawn in 2022, with 486 out of 491 approved. And even last year, 572 were approved out of the 617 that were requested.
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“We have paid for visas at one restaurant that were approved in the spring, but cannot get the final bureaucratic paperwork completed from the government. This is thousands of dollars we spent that we cannot get back from no fault of ours and no recourse,” Kelly Johnson, whose family runs restaurants near Dollywood, including Mama’s Farmhouse and Alamo Steakhouse, told the Knox News.
“The program used to be great,” Johnson explained. “But this year we find our applications not processed, timing missed, and lack of communication on the government side.”
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Dollywood Human Resources Vice President Susan Lovedly also explained that having H-2B visa workers is important to operations. “International hosts offer an ideal solution for flexing our workforce at peak times of the season,” she said.
With fewer visa holders and many other younger workers returning to college and other school programs, it's very possible that this amusement park, and others, could face a staffing problem that complicates fall operations.
(The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a trip.)
Make a free appointment with TheStreet’s Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@postcardtravelplanning.com or call or text her at 386-383-2472.
