Overtourism: What can Galapagos learn from other islands around the world?

The rapid expansion of tourism over the past 50 years has transformed the social, political and environmental landscapes of the Galapagos Islands, and last year tourist numbers hit a new high, with nearly 330,000 visitors. Although tourism generates funds and provides the local community with an economic motive to care for wildlife, it also brings negative impacts including carbon emissions, over-use of resources, waste management issues, pollution and the introduction of non-native species.

So how can we develop a more regenerative model of tourism for Galapagos? And what lessons can we learn from other islands around the world? To explore this topic, we spoke to representatives from four other island communities grappling with similar issues: Amanda R. Charles, head of the Sustainable Tourism Division at the Caribbean Tourism Organization; Anne Striewe, Director of the Fundación para la Naturaleza y el Medio Ambiente Canarina; Duncan Bryden, Chair of the Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland; and Nunú Fernández Paoa, Director of Planning for the Municipality of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).

What are the particular challenges that you have faced due to ‘overtourism’?

Duncan Bryden (DB): The Isle of Skye, on the west coast of Scotland, has always been a popular destination due to its scenic landscapes and historical heritage. However, over the last decade tourism numbers have climbed rapidly. One million visitors are forecast for 2024, on an island where the resident population is about 10,000. Social media appears to be the dominant driver – natural sites like the Fairy Pools, the Old Man of Storr and the Quiraing have become must-visit, Instagrammable locations.

The challenges are twofold. Firstly, hundreds of thousands of pairs of feet walking over rough wet fragile hillsides have a bulldozer-type effect. Secondly, the absence of sufficient visitor infrastructure to service all these people. Serviceable roads, toilets, litter bins and accommodation are all in short supply. A rapid growth in short-term let properties (e.g. Airbnb) has swallowed up to 40% of housing stock in some places.

Anne Striewe (AS): Excessive tourism in the Canary Islands is leading to land speculation and rising house prices, which are becoming increasingly unaffordable for the local population. Tourism is also putting pressure on nature, creating pollution, including the dumping of sewage in the sea, and depleting basic resources such as water and energy. The economy is not very diversified and is highly dependent on the service sector. Employment is precarious, and we have the second worst rates of poverty and risk of social exclusion in Spain.

Amanda R. Charles (AC): Dependency on tourism is not the most sustainable economic practice, as the Caribbean islands discovered during the COVID-19 pandemic. While tourism generates substantial revenue, a significant portion of it often leaks out to international corporations, limiting the benefits for local communities. This economic model also leads to seasonal employment, creating instability for workers dependent on tourism-related jobs.

The growth of tourism over the years has indirectly impacted the infrastructure of Caribbean islands, such as their solid waste management, wastewater management and sewage treatment. As tourism grows, the islands’ own populations grow, increasing urbanisation and causing a strain on outdated infrastructure. Other impacts include social infringement, where access to public beaches can be restricted as a result of hotels trying to make them exclusive for guests. And the construction of tourism infrastructure often results in the destruction of vital ecosystems such as mangroves and coastal areas, which are crucial for biodiversity and shoreline protection.

Nunú Fernández Paoa (NF): During my childhood in the late 1980s and early ‘90s, tourism on Rapa Nui was limited and exclusive. Only those few who could afford the enormous cost of getting here would come. By 2019, we had reached more than 150,000 tourists a year. Rapa Nui is a territory of just 166 km², 50% of which is an uninhabited National Park. Problems we now face include the over-consumption of water, exponential growth in the generation of waste, increasing car traffic, greater energy demand and the erosion of our local culture and language. As Rapa Nui we make constant efforts to keep this alive, but the task is increasingly difficult.

What measures have been taken to try and address these challenges?

DB: On Skye, physical repairs are underway. Bodies like the Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland have coordinated and invested in building new infrastructure like car parks and toilets with visitors charged a fee. The income is reinvested in employment, community benefit and upgrading access to cope with impacts from feet and a changing climate.

AS: No action is being taken in the Canaries, that is the problem. It seems that the political class does not want to hear about setting limits to growth, or the fact that people who do not live on the islands are taking away basic rights from the local population, such as housing. After the recent demonstrations in April, they rejected all the measures that the population demanded: an immediate moratorium on new tourism projects, a ban on the purchase of housing by non-residents, an eco-tax on overnight stays and a halt to projects that do not comply with environmental and urban planning regulations.

AC: Countries like Antigua & Barbuda, Belize and the Bahamas have introduced environmental taxes and levies on visitors, which are used to fund conservation efforts and infrastructure improvements. Community-based and rural tourism have been on the increase, which offer alternative experiences to encourage tourists to visit lesser-known destinations. These initiatives help to alleviate congestion in over-visited areas and expand the benefits of tourism to local communities, fostering entrepreneurship, participation and engagement.

NF: The pandemic brought us tremendous lessons. In 2020 Rapa Nui closed its doors to tourism for 29 months, laying bare the overdependence on the tourism sector. The pandemic catalysed the development of other productive activities that emerged and strengthened while the territory remained closed. Since reopening in August 2022, tourism has gradually resumed its pre-pandemic rhythm, with some adjustments, but with the constant challenge of safeguarding our natural resources.

How effective do you think tourism taxes and park entry fees are in addressing overtourism?

DB: The Scottish Government has approved a Visitor Levy Bill which enables local authorities to impose a ‘bed night tax’. There is still much debate about how this will be applied and collected. For example, should motorhome users visiting Skye but not staying in official campsites pay the tax too? Legislation is being used to require change of use to holiday let be subject to planning consent. The tourism sector also sees this as an imposition on legitimate tourism activity. Residents recently rejected a National Park proposal for Skye on the grounds that it would serve to attract even more visitors without the necessary investment in management.

AC: Tourism taxes and/or national park entry fees are effective strategies that can be used to address overtourism, although this must be coupled with additional measures to manage visitor flows. Effective implementation requires efficient collection and management of fees to ensure that the funds are used appropriately and transparently. It is also important to balance the fees so they do not disproportionately exclude lower-income tourists, potentially making destinations less accessible to a diverse range of visitors. Most importantly, local stakeholder engagement is a key consideration. Involving local communities, businesses and other stakeholders in the decision-making process can help ensure that the fees are fair and beneficial to all parties involved.

AS: The only eco-tax that we want in the Canaries is for the purpose of conserving natural areas and perhaps services such as health or education. We are not asking for an eco-tax to regenerate tourist areas or for infrastructure. We believe that a tax alone does not solve the problem, as we fear that it is not a question of lack of money but of management capacity.

NF: Rapa Nui has been tax exempt since 1966, as a result of a special law which was, I think, an attempt by the Chilean state to repair the damage done between 1888, when the island was annexed by Chile, and 1966, when we Rapa Nui were finally granted Chilean citizenship. This point is very important given that, at present, local tourist activity does not contribute to local economic development. There is only the entrance fee to the National Park: US$20 for Chileans and US$80 for foreigners, a fee that in my opinion is low considering that you can access 25 different visitor sites.

How can we ensure that tourism both supports island communities and protects the natural world?

DB: There is no simple answer. Tourism contributes about 9% of Scotland’s’ GDP overall, with a much greater reliance found in islands and rural areas. High quality nature is what visitors are spending money to see and enjoy. Mountain and coastal topography in Skye helps confine visitors to ‘hot spots’ and so wildlife does have other space to thrive. Of perhaps greater threat to natural integrity is poor practice in other land and water uses like aquaculture, livestock grazing, forestry and renewable energy.

AC: Tourism planning, legislation and institutional frameworks are ways that Caribbean governments can ensure that tourism supports and protects the people and natural environment on which it heavily relies. Governments are responsible for establishing the regulatory environment and are key players in guiding the industry. Creating ‘Tourism Development Plans’ and including tourism in ‘National Development Plans’ will guide and encourage the industry to develop sustainably.

AS: Tourism should be a “plus” that allows the people of the islands to live better, but not our only livelihood, as tourism is a very fragile industry and very dependent on external circumstances: conflicts, climate, economic crises… It is essential to diversify the economy so that it does not depend solely on tourism; reactivating the primary sector to advance food sovereignty and connect it with the demand generated by tourism would be a good option. Tourism should be regenerative and based on respect for local culture and nature.

Forty per cent of our territory is protected, with biodiversity and landscapes that are unique in the world. Tourism should help to conserve this, not destroy it. Creating jobs around this natural wealth (research, conservation and maintenance, education, clean-up, outreach) could help to diversify the economy, to better understand and protect these riches.

NF: I think this is achieved by building partnership and trust. By listening to the expectations and desires of communities, and demanding a positive contribution from tourism. The implementation of a ‘green’ tax, with the proceeds directed to the protection of resources and nature, seems to me to a good solution. Accompanied by creativity and trust, this could help to create innovative programmes for the protection and integration of communities, which include the participation of the people who inhabit and protect the areas being visited. I think the key word here is ‘integration’.

Have you learnt any lessons that could be applied to other islands around the world?

DB: More decisions need to be taken by people who live and work in these places. Renewable energy is a case in point. Private international energy firms are offering community benefit of up to £5,000 per MW per year from energy produced by wind turbines they erect in the locality. This is a small part of the huge shareholder value taken from the exploitation of island natural resources.

Experience on islands close to Skye has shown that community-owned wind farms can deliver £170,000 per MW per year. Value is retained within the community and reinvested in both facilities and infrastructure for the benefit of both residents and tourists. This is combining ecosystem services and natural capital with a community prosperity approach through joint ventures. If good governance can be established there are more impact investment funders willing to participate in such projects.

AC: The Caribbean is still learning and developing ways to improve the industry’s sustainability, especially in the social and environmental areas. Each island has unique challenges regarding its limits of acceptable change environmentally and socially, but several developments are implementing best practices and using benchmarks to pave the way to an ideal tourism industry that benefits everyone.

AS: In the Canary Islands we have enormous potential to make progress in food sovereignty through agroecology and also in energy sovereignty, with the promotion of a decentralised model based on energy communities. There is also an impressive system of managing water use (which is very scarce in the Canary Islands): reforesting to increase water catchment and rediscovering traditional knowledge around water use could be useful for many territories with water poverty, especially in the face of increasing climate change.

NF: Rapa Nui is an example for the world in many aspects. However, I believe that the tourism sector has many opportunities for improvement, and for greater integration with the community. By law, land transactions are only allowed between Rapa Nui people, and this, I think, has been the key to protecting our territory from mass market tourism. In Rapa Nui there is a simpler form of tourism, connected to a resilient, magical space of great beauty and ancestral wisdom. These values inherited by our ancestors hundreds of years ago allow us today to exhibit to the world our great culture whose material and immaterial combination is still alive. This is for me a source of pride and an example of sustainability: the capacity to leave future generations a legacy as wonderful as the one inherited by those of us who love, live and protect our beautiful Rapa Nui.