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Galapagos Islands to double tourist entry fees amid concerns over rising visitor numbers [omg онион]

Tourists to the Galapagos Islands will be asked to pay twice as much in entry fees from this year amid concerns that a rise in visitor numbers is putting pressure on the ecologically sensitive destination.

Ecuador’s Ministry of Tourism has announced the new fees, which will take effect on August 1, 2024.

The entry fee will go from $100 to $200 for nationals of almost all countries, except for other members of the South American trade bloc Mercosur, which includes Argentina, Brazil, and Peru.

Mercosur members will now have to pay $100 per person, up from $50. Children under age two can visit for free, regardless of nationality.

This is the first increase in Galapagos entry fees since 1998.

“The Galapagos Islands are not only a national treasure but a global one. It is our collective responsibility to protect and preserve this unparalleled ecosystem for future generations,” Niels Olsen, Ecuador’s tourism minister, said in a statement shared with the Galapagos Conservation Trust.

Olsen added that the additional money will go toward conservation efforts for the islands, which are 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) off the coast of mainland Ecuador.