Are tourist taxes the answer to overtourism? The Galapagos Islands case

Starting later this summer, tourists to the Galapagos Islands will be asked to pay twice as much in entry fees starting amid concerns that a rise in visitor numbers is putting pressure on the ecologically sensitive destination.  

The Islands are the latest to join a string of destinations from Barcelona to Bali requiring extra charges to combat overtourism. “It’s an important trend to a deepening issue.” said Matt Berna, President of the Americas at Intrepid Travel. 

Starting August 1, 2024, the entry fee in the Galapagos will go from $100 to $200 for nationals of almost all countries. This is the first increase in entry fees since 1998. 

These fees are an immediately necessary first step, but exactly that, just one step in a global conversation around increased regulation,” Intrepid’s Ecuador General Manager, Fausto Sarango said.

“Intrepid has gone to great lengths to do our due diligence on even offering these trips. The Galapagos Islands are not only a national treasure, but a global one. There must be greater strategic buy-in from all tour operators on the volume of tourists to fragile areas and the locations we visit.” 

Intrepid runs five types of trips to the Islands. They’re also at the forefront of learning and sharing regenerative tourism techniques around the globe to ensure businesses, and the communities they highlight, can last into the future. 

“Fees support conservation efforts but moving towards becoming the world’s first carbon negative travel company is our ultimate goal. We’re calling on both travelers and travel companies to rethink their role in how we experience this planet before it’s too late.” 

The Galapagos are a UNESCO World Heritage site comprised of more than 100 islands. The islands nicknamed a “living museum,” are home to many rare or endangered plants and animals. 

The Galapagos Conservation Trust, a UK-registered charity focused on promoting conservation and sustainability on the islands, has warned of ecological consequences from rising visitor numbers. 

“Recent years have seen worrying growth in the number of visitors to the Islands, driven by a sharp increase in land-based tourism,” it said on its website. “This is pushing waste management systems to the limit, exacerbating water and food insecurity, and increasing the threat of devastating invasive species being introduced to the Islands.” 

Only some 30,000 people live on one of the Galapagos islands, but about 170,000 tourists visit in a typical year. Over the past decade, the number of tourists has almost doubled. 

Scientific discoveries continue to be made in the archipelago. A previously unknown coral reef, believed to be thousands of years old, was discovered by scientists last year. 

Hawaii might be the next island chain to follow suit. There have recently been strong calls for a $50 so-called Green Fee visitor payment to be added in support of the ecologically fragile area.  

The article Are tourist taxes the answer to overtourism? The Galapagos Islands case first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.