Nature: How the middle class are being priced out of wildlife holidays

 

From Africa to the Galapagos, wildlife tourism is at risk of becoming the preserve of the elite – but operators believe it’s the way to go

Over a decade ago, on a trip to Santa Cruz in the Galapagos, I was amazed by sightings of one particular species. 

Penguins, reef sharks, and flamingos all registered on my wildlife radar, but it was the higher-than-expected population of humans that struck me as strange. 

Six hundred miles away from mainland Ecuador, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, 

I hadn’t expected to find cafés, bars, and restaurants filled with backpackers, beachgoers, and gap-year travelers.

 These were very different from the specimens Darwin had found several centuries before.

In downtown Puerto Ayora, sea lions frequently shove people off benches and giant tortoises cause traffic jams on roads bisecting their grassy highways. 

In an overcrowded world, people and animals are increasingly fighting for space. But sometimes it’s the tourists coming to see these creatures who end up being the root cause of conflict.

For authorities, price hikes are the obvious solution. The Galapagos is the latest bucket-list wildlife destination to raise entry fees in a bid to boost conservation revenue and curb over-tourism. Park tickets are set to double from $100 (£79) to $200 per person from August 1.



“This is a move which is long overdue,” says Tom Power, chief executive and co-founder of sustainable tour operator Pura Aventura. “If we are to protect nature effectively, we need to put a value on it.”