The world needs tourism

Small group tour + naturalist guide at the Charles Darwin Research Center in the Galapagos

When tourism came to a screeching halt in 2020 due to the COVD-19 pandemic, we quickly learned how much of the world’s economies and global conservation efforts are reliant on tourist dollars.

As the world truly began to reopen, my family and I made our pilgrimage to the Galápagos Islands in Ecuador, and we learned from our naturalist guide of the hardships the pandemic caused. Since the required $100 Galapagos National Park entrance fee goes directly to conservation on and around the islands, science came to a halt and the protected, endemic species were left alone. The large majority of the islands’ careers, jobs, and economy are directly reliant on the presence of tourists which forced many businesses to close permanently.

The national parks in Africa and the communities surrounding them as well as other protected areas around the world found themselves in very similar and unfortunate circumstances. The world needs tourism. 

It is clear that undertourism can be devastating, but the world needs the right kind of tourism. Travel that contributes to the wealth of local communities, considers the ecological impacts of a region, contributes to local conservation efforts, and respects local culture can coincidentally enrich the traveler and have a positive impact on the community.​

---