HISTORY

• 1860's: A few hundred visitors came to the Islands a year.  Some negative effects from humans, specifically the whaling industry, were evident on the islands.  The giant tortoises almost became extinct and visiting ships brought rats, cats, pigs, and goats to the Islands which proved to be harmful to the native population.  
• 1935: The Ecuadorian government passed the first laws to protect the wildlife in the Galapagos Islands.
• 1959: The laws were more strictly enforced when the Ecuadorian government made 97% of the Galapagos Islands a "National Park". 
• 1960's: The Charles Darwin Foundation was set up
  
• 1965: The United Kingdom wrote a proposal entitled, "Recommendations on the Administration of the Proposed Galapagos National Park" for the future of the National Park at the request of the Ecuadorian government.  
• It stressed the relationship between conservatism and tourism and recognized wildlife as the main attraction.  
• The people realized that in order for tourism to succeed as a long term industry, the wildlife needed to be protected and the tourists needed to be essentially protected from themselves.  
• The report suggested that tourists should only tour the island by cruises.  This would eliminate the need for extensive facilities such as hotels on the islands. 
• 1968
• Two officials were sent by the Galapagos National Park Service (GNPS) and were a part of the Forestry Service of Ecuador
• These officials made attempts to develop reserves on the Islands and to restrict human activities that proved to be harmful to the environment.  
• These officials also set rules for the reserves one of which was the necessity for a qualified guide to accompany each tour group on the island.
• Before the 1970s': The only public transportation to the Islands were cargo ships that came about every three months from Guayaquil, Ecuador, the main port of Ecuador
  
• September 1973: The "Master Plan", a plan for the long term conservation policy of the Galapagos was developed
• The Plan included complete environmental protection of the Islands, the suppression of harmful activities, and a system to give information to visitors about the Islands
• 1979: The Galapagos Islands were declared a "World Heritage Site".
  
• 1980's: 25,000 visitors a year
• 1986: The Ecuadorian government designated 50,000 square kilometers to be a "Marine Reserve".
  
• 1995: Tourists numbers dropped this year because locals seized the airport, a scientific research station, and a few national park offices in order to put pressure on the central government.
  
• 1997: 60,000 tourists visit a year
• 1997: Fabian Alarcon, the interim appointed president issued an "emergency decree to stem the tides of pollution, immigration, illegal fishing, and introduced species that threaten the fragile ecosystems."

The Galapagos Island’s Tourism Growth: Visitors to Galapagos National Park (in thousands)

                      1972    1975    1979    1985    1989    1990    1993    1994    1996

Foreigners      6.7           7        10        12        27        26        37        41        46
Nationals        0.1           0         2          6         15        15        10        13        16
Total              6.8            7        12        18        42        41        47        54        62


TRAVELING

• Before 1970
• Cargo ships from Ecuador's port, Guayaquil
  
• AIRPLANES
• Traveling to the Islands by plane became possible when the United States built a military base on Baltra.
• 1979: An airport (the second one in the Islands) was built on San Cristobal.
  
• All of the flights to the Galapagos must come through Ecuador (usually the capital, Quito) because there are no direct flights outside of Ecuador.  
• SICGAL (System of Inspection and Quarantine) must check the visitors' luggage to ensure that no new pests or diseases are brought to the Galapagos.
  
• From Ecuador, the planes fly to the airport in San Cristobal (San Cristobal) or Santa Cruz (Baltra)
• Planes run from Quito and Guayaquil (on mainland Ecuador) to Baltra twice a day and twice a week to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.  Also, planes run frequently between these two airports on the Galapagos Islands.
  
• BOATS
• Shortly after the military base was built on Baltra, three tour companies (Metropolitan Touring, Turismundial, and Linblad Tours) joined together to buy four boats (two cruise, one sailing ship, and a luxury liner) to bring people back and forth to the Islands.
  
• Variety of boats are available
• Small, simple, converted fishing boats that hold anywhere from six to sixteen passengers.
• Large, luxurious cruise boats that hold up to one hundred passengers.
  
• One can also take a cargo carrier that leaves twice a month from Guayaquil to reach the islands.  
• Capitania del Puerto and Estrella del Mar offer boat transportation between the islands.
• INGALA offers ferries between San Cristobal and Santa Cruz on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.
• All boats depend upon engine power and some have sails
• Most of the crews are Ecuadorians
  
• TOURS
• Bales Worldwide (website)
• Journey Latin America (website)
• Worldwide Journeys and Expeditions (website)
• Wildlife Worldwide (website)
• Trips Worldwide (website)
  
• Tribes (website)
• The Adventure Company (website)
• Quasar Nautica, SA (wesbite1, website2)
• Pura Aventura (website)
• Noble Caledonia (website)
• Last Frontiers (website)
• Island Holidays (website)
• Hacienda Chillo-Jijón (Ecuador) (website)
• Galapagos Classic Cruises (website)
• Galapagos Adventure Tours (website)
• Explore Worldwide (website)
• Discovery Initiatives (website)
• Cazenove & Loyd Expediciones (website)
• Andean Trails (website)
• GUIDES
• A guide accompanies each cruise or day trip
• Each guide is certified by the Galapagos National Park System
• Guides ensure that each tourist obeys the National Park Rules especially the rule that states that each visitor must remain on the set trails and are not allowed to touch the animals.
• INSPECTIONS
• SICGAL checks the visitors' luggage to ensure that no new pests and diseases are brought to the islands.
  
• ON YOUR OWN
• The infrastructure on San Cristobal (roads, buses, and taxis) along with the hotels, restaurants and visitor information makes it easy for visitors to explore the island by themselves.      

TOURISM TRENDS

• Two Kinds
• Better suited towards Ecuadorians
• Low budget
• Higher volume
• Land based tourism 
• Day cruises
• Benefits the local community
• Larger numbers are needed in order to create the same amount of income that would from from domestic tourism because the natives spend less per day.
  
• Better suited towards foreigners
  
• Upscale luxury boats
• Ecotourism
• Controlled nature- tourism
  
• Less impact on the ecosystem because visitors do not actually stay on the Islands
• Less beneficial to the native communities
• Conflict
• Land based or ecotourism better?

RULES/REGULATIONS

• 54 designated land sites
• 62 marine sites
• Tourists must be accompanied by naturalist guides
• Tourists must stay on the gravel paths, cannot touch or take anything from the island, cannot bring food on to the Islands, cannot liter, cannot disturb the animals, and must wash off before leaving the island
• Park Service requires that all of the tour boats must register their tours and file their itineraries
• Moratorium on foreign cruise visits to the Islands

PROBLEMS WITH REGULATION

• Not all boats are registered or file itineraries so overcrowding occurs
• The government keeps raising the number of tourists, passengers and boats that are allowed to be admitted every year

VISITORS' EFFECTS

• Ten-fold increase in the number of visitors since 1970
• Trail erosion
• Loss of vegetation
• Some change in animal behavior (expect food, possibly more aggressive)

COLONIZATION

• Fastest growing area in Ecuador
• Increases 6-10% per year
• Appealing: The cost of living is higher but it is easier to find work and the salaries are higher
• Late 1990's: 15,000-20,000 people living on the 3% of land that is not the national park
• New arrivals are straining the limited resources such as freshwater, electricity, telephone services, and schools.  They are also increasing garbage and sewage disposal.
• The citizens of Ecuador have a right to move to the Islands because they are considered to be one of the country's 21 provinces but the adults are uneducated and do not know how to live on the Islands without destroying them.  
• As a result of the population increase, many of the beaches on Santa Cruz have been destroyed so construction can take place.

FINANCES

• 1997: The tourism of the Galapagos was responsible for 60% of all of the tourism done by Ecuador and it provided and income for 80% of the people living on the islands.
• However, a man by the name of Bruce Epler found that in 1991 only about 15% ($5 million) of the tourism income actually enters the island's economy.  Most of it is used for vessels and airlines.  
• More of the profits need to be kept on the island for its benefits.
• In 1994, the central government set aside 40% of the entrance fees to help to protect the islands.  This was a tremendous help to the islands and the extra money made it possible to hire more staff, guards, guards, buy computers, fax machines and radios, and to instill a boat patrol.  

Park Entrance Fee:

Foreign Tourists non-residents of Ecuador over 12 years of age.    $100

Foreign Tourists non-residents of Ecuador under 12 years of age.    $50

Foreign Tourists non-residents of Ecuador over 12 years of age. 
Nationals of one of the countries participating in the Andean
Community of Nations or Mercosur.                                                $50

Foreign Tourists non-residents of Ecuador under 12 years of age. 
Nationals of one of the countries participating in the Andean
Community of Nations or Mercosur.                                                $25

National Tourists or Foreign Residents of Ecuador over 12
years of age.                                                                                        $6

National Tourists or Foreign Residents of Ecuador under 12
years of age.                                                                                        $3

Tourists non-resident foreign students registered at one of
the National Universities of Ecuador.                                                $25


Distribution of the Park Entrance Fee



ACTION GROUPS

• International Galapagos Tour Operators Association
• Formed to ask the Ecuadorian Congress to raise professional and safety standards or boat operators and to raise the funds for local conservation efforts.
• Donated $5 per passenger in 1997 to be used to support guide and crew training programs
• Forum for Sustainable Tourism
• Association of Galapagos Tour Operators
• Tour Boat operators (such as Dolores de Diez of Quasar Nautica)
• Works with the park service and research station to patrol for illegal fishing

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