From 1 August 2024, entry prices to visit the archipelago will go up from the current $100 (£79) per adult to $200 (£158), Lata – the Latin American Tourism Association – confirmed on Thursday (29 February).
Ecuador’s tourism minister Niels Olsen said the increase – the first in 26 years – was a "necessary measure" to ensure tourism to the islands remains “mutually beneficial to both the environment and our local communities”.
Beyond conservation efforts, the money will be invested in infrastructure upgrades and community programmes.
Journey Latin America head of product Stuart Whittington said the price review was "very much needed” and demonstrated Ecuador’s commitment to sustainable travel.
Pura Aventura co-founder and chief executive Thomas Power said the move was “long overdue”, and added he believed the balance between "private profit and public resourcing" had shifted “too far away from nature”.
Power compared the entry fees to the cost of a gorilla excursion in central Africa, which he said can range from $400 and $1,500 per person. "Even doubling the park fees to $200 for a full week in the islands barely touches the sides," said Power, who is advocating for the Ecuadorian government to go further.
“Back when the fees were set at $100, that represented as much as 10% of the cost of a week-long liveaboard. Nowadays, it is routinely 1-2%. The park authority can be braver and look to set the park fee as a fixed 4% of a cruise cost with a minimum of $200 per visitor."
Explore Worldwide product manager Carmel Hendry highlighted how the raised fee represented “the tug of war between conservation and tourism”, and stressed this would continue to be a challenge for as long as tourism in the Galapagos keeps growing.
“While we’re contributing enormously to the economy of the Galapagos, we’re using community and governmental resources and infrastructure that could benefit from improvement,” said Hendry.
“The improvements and additional funds for conservation will help protect and preserve the islands for the tourism of the future – I see it as paying it forward.”
The increase comes at a delicate time for Ecuador’s tourism industry with the country currently under a 60-day state of emergency due to an increase in political unrest and gang violence.
Over the past year, Ecuador has suffered several significant blows to its tourism economy following a series of politically motivated incidents, which prompted many countries – including the UK – to caution against travel to the country.
The Foreign Office currently advises against travel to certain areas of Ecuador, but stresses its advice "does not apply to airside transit within Guayaquil Airport in Guayas province, including onward or return travel to the Galapagos Islands".
