Why does tourism need to be managed and how can this be done? The uncontrolled growth of tourism can lead to lasting damage and harm to both people and environments. If tourist locations become unattractively over-built, over-crowded and polluted, people will go elsewhere and the economic benefits of tourism will be lost. Habitats will be compromised and natural feeding/breeding patterns affected.

The Galapagos Islands are famous worldwide because of their unique fauna (animal life) and flora (plant life). The islands also offer spectacular natural scenery and every year they are visited by around 140,000 tourists. There are 25,000 Ecuadoreans living on the islands, 70% of whom work directly or indirectly in tourism-related activities. The Government of Ecuador are keen to expand the country’s tourism sector as it is heavily reliant on exports of oil (finite resource that will one day run out), and bananas, a cash crop affected by world price changes and problems like pests, fungus attacks and the impacts of climate change.

In order to carry on benefiting from tourism to the islands, but “manage” it to reduce/remove the negative environmental impacts, the Ecuadorean authorities have introduced the following measures: Charge all tourists a US $100 arrival fee with the money going towards habitat conservation projects; Ban large cruise ships visiting the islands; Only allow access to specific sites and at them, set up fenced walkways and viewing platforms so that tourists do not stray onto feeding, nesting and breeding grounds; Introduce incentives for locals to generate electricity from renewable sources;