• Executive summary - key points

1. Galapagos at risk
2. Galapagos is undergoing constant change
3. Changing tourism markets
4. Changing tour operators
5. Local benefits
6. Financing in Galapagos
7. Fishing and differences among the Islands
8. New local operators in tourism
9. Impacts of tourism
10. Leadership and governance
11. Subsidies and incentives in Galapagos
12. Conclusion

• References

９．Impacts of tourism

　The greatest impact of tourism in Galapagos occurs on a regional scale through social, economic and cultural change and not at the scale of visitor sites. The visitor sites are relatively well managed through standard protected area management techniques, including trails, guides to accompany visitors, fixed itineraries and a limited number of concessions (MacFarland 2001). The Galapagos National Park Service monitors visitor sites and can close sites or change itineraries in response to growing pressures; as a result the direct site impacts have been minimal.

　However, the growth in tourism has not been well managed at a regional scale. Tourism has provided benefits to Galapagos residents and the wealth generated is the basis for the local economy of secondary businesses. Unfortunately, many of these businesses have not been effectively regulated through urban planning. Growth in tourism and the local economy has led to an increase in immigration and an explosion of new local businesses. At the same time, the demand for public services such as water, health, education and sanitation has grown, overwhelming the capacity of the local municipal governments. Providing the local population with public services is costly and needs to be covered by local tax payments. Unfortunately, many immigrants are not registered and taxation systems are not well developed. Therefore public service demands have increased without concurrent ways to cover the costs of these services.

　When both tourism and population grow, the number of flights to Galapagos and the number of ports of entry and exit grow the arrivals of cargo boats increase and more fuel is brought to the islands increasing the risk of oil spills such as that of cargo ship Jessica in 2001. Commercial flights to Galapagos increased by 193% from 2001 to 2006 (Cruz Martinez and Causton, 2007). New access routes break down natural barriers to the arrival of new species and potentially bring an increasing number of invasive species - the greatest threat to the archipelago. During the same time period, the number of inspectors working for the quarantine service (SICGAL) of the Ecuadorian Agricultural Sanitation Service (SESA) decreased by 20% (Cruz Martinez and Causton, 2007).