r/InternationalNews • u/guyoffthegrid • Jun 30 '24

Environment Galapagos Islands to double tourist entry fees amid concerns over rising visitor numbers

https://www.traveldailymedia.com/galapagos-islands-to-double-tourist-entry-fees-amid-concerns-over-rising-visitor-numbers/
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u/guyoffthegrid Jun 30 '24

"Ecuador’s Ministry of Tourism has announced the new fees, which will take effect on August 1, 2024.

The entry fee will go from $100 to $200 for nationals of almost all countries, except for other members of the South American trade bloc Mercosur, which includes Argentina, Brazil, and Peru.

Mercosur members will now have to pay $100 per person, up from $50. Children under age two can visit for free, regardless of nationality.

This is the first increase in Galapagos entry fees since 1998.

[ ... ]

Only some 30,000 people live on one of the Galapagos islands, but about 170,000 tourists visit in a typical year.

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.

'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'."