TravelMole Guest Comment: The future of the Galápagos

On 28 July 2010 the UNESCO world heritage committee removed the Galápagos Islands from the list of world heritage sites in danger. Michelle Grant, travel industry research manager at Euromonitor International, investigates.

"The Galápagos Islands were added to the list in 2007 because rapid increases in tourists and residents, in addition to excessive fishing and the introduction of non-native animal and plant species, threatened the delicate eco-system.

Although tourists are concerned about the islands’ conservation, the placement of the islands’ on the danger list did not lead to a decline in visitation in 2008. It took the global recession to cause a decline in foreign visitors in 2009 although domestic visitors increased (see graph).

Year. National. Foreign. Total. Annual Growth
2004 33,977 74,957 108,934
2005 35,584 86,110 121,694 11.7%
2006 47,833 97,396 145,229 19.3%
2007 51,411 110,448 161,859 11.5%
2008 53,468 119,952 173,420 7.1%
2009 56,766 106,714 163,480 -5.7%

Source: Dirección del Parque Nacional Galápagos

Government implements changes but critics abound

The Ecuadorian government worked quickly to remove the Galápagos Islands from the danger list. It began to strictly enforce its migration policies and deport “illegal” residents. It also implemented programmes to eliminate invasive animal and plant species. The government incorporated clean energy sources, such as solar power.

Despite these efforts, many conservancy groups criticized UNESCO’s decision to remove the islands for the danger list. Both the Galápagos Conservancy and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) argue that the decision was premature and the government has not done enough to minimize the risk to the island’s unique plants and animals.

According to industry sources, visitation rebounded by around 20% in the first few months of 2010 as the global economy began its recovery. Future growth in tourism is likely with the expansion of airlift to the islands.

For example, LAN airlines launched its first flight to the Galápagos on 17 September 2010, which will likely increase daily passengers to the islands by 25% to 750. The airline has also applied to fly to the other airport on the islands, which would further increase the number of passengers.

Industry sources speculate that the number of visitors could grow between 50% and 80% over the next five years. It remains to be seen if the government can manage this strong growth in tourism while protecting the islands’ unique and fragile eco-system."