Tourism is a vital source of income for the people who live in Galapagos, with around 80% of the local economy dependent on tourism. This money helps to sustain a community of some 30,000 residents, and also generates funds for conservation. However, visitor numbers have more than doubled over the past 20 years, putting increasing pressure on the Islands’ infrastructure and threatening the very wildlife that attracts tourists in the first place. We are working with government authorities, conservation NGOs, tourism businesses and the local community to address the challenges and opportunities that tourism brings, with the ultimate aim of transforming tourism into a regenerative force that benefits both people and nature.Â
> 329 k
visitors to Galapagos in 2023, a new record
79 %
of tourist visits in 2025 were land-based stays
$ 200
- the Galapagos National Park entrance fee for international visitors
The rapid expansion of tourism over the past 50 years has transformed the social, political and environmental landscapes of the Galapagos Islands. Tourism can educate visitors about the value of conserving the Islands, and gives local people an incentive to protect their natural environment and limit the growth of extractive industries such as intensive agriculture, industrial fishing or mining. But the Islands’ reliance on tourism is a double-edged sword, with growing visitor numbers threatening to overwhelm the Archipelago’s fragile ecosystems.Â
Tourist numbers collapsed during the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing significant economic hardship and exposing the vulnerability of the local economy to global shocks. But since the Islands reopened to tourism, visitor numbers have risen to record highs, something that is mainly being driven by a sharp increase in land-based tourism. 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.Â
We are working together with local authorities and the wider community to ensure that everyone involved in tourism in Galapagos is behind the drive to reimagine how the industry works on the Islands. Our grassroots to government approach includes both top-down transformation, developing policies and strategies to manage tourism growth and its associated challenges, and bottom-up initiatives, creating a new Code of Conduct for tourists following a wide-ranging community consultation.Â
We are funding pilot projects driven by both community and conservation priorities to show how tourism can be a positive force for nature, and we want to scale up participation in citizen science projects. We are also helping to develop a new online information platform which will promote responsible tourist behaviours and showcase tour operators that demonstrate a clear commitment to regenerative practices.
In 2025 the Galapagos National Park Directorate received the Regenerative Conservation Initiative of the Year award from online tourism platform Regenerative Travel, in recognition of the efforts supported by GCT to reorient tourism on the Islands. This award was welcomed publicly by the government of Ecuador, which reaffirmed its commitment to the approach that GCT is championing.
We are demonstrating a new form of sustainability through our actions, where tourism is managed responsibly, with a vision for the future and a commitment to our communities.
The project aims to:
You can play your part in the transformation of tourism by being a responsible, respectful and well-informed visitor, and by supporting the work of GCT.
