In a first increase since 1998, Ecuador is doubling the entry fees for the Galápagos Islands. Visitors from most countries will now have to pay 200 dollars (184 euros) instead of 100 dollars (92 euros) per visit, according to Ecuador’s Ministry of Tourism.
Located at about 960 kilometres from the coast of Ecuador, the 19 island archipelago is considered to be a “living museum and showcase of evolution”. Therefore, the islands have been registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978.
“The Galápagos Islands are not only a national treasure but a global one. It is our collective responsibility to protect and preserve this unparalleled ecosystem for future generations. The adjustment in the entry fee, the first in 26 years, is a necessary measure to ensure that tourism in the Galápagos remains sustainable and mutually beneficial to both the environment and our local communities”, Ecuador’s minister of tourism, Niels Olsen, said in a statement cited by the Galápagos Conservation Trust.
While the islands count a total of 30,000 inhabitants, each year around 170,000 tourists pay a visit to the unique ecosystem. According to Galápagos Conservancy, several species are only found on the archipelago and nowhere else on Earth, including giant tortoises, the Flightless Cormorant, Darwin’s finches, iguanas, including the famous Galápagos pink iguana, as well as scalesia trees. Protecting the islands, from the impact of tourism and other challenges, is of utmost importance.
“Recent years have seen worrying growth in the number of visitors to the islands, driven by a sharp increase in land-based tourism”, the Galápagos Conservation Trust writes 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.”
The fee increase is applied from 1 August 2024. While the fee for Members of the South American trade bloc Mercosur, will also double, they will only have to pay 100 dollars, up from 50 dollars.
Ecuador’s decision to raise the entry fees comes at a time where many other popular tourist destinations are also raising or introducing tourist fees. Japan’s Mount Fuji, Bali and Iceland are just a few of the destinations that have recently started charging tourist taxes.
