After 16 complex months, Galapagos exceeds 13,000 visitors per month

Gremio considers that the vaccination plan against COVID-19 that was deployed in the islands to make them a safe destination has been key.

With an economy tied to tourism activity, Galapagos began to visualize in this start of the second semester symptoms of a recovery, although there is still a way to go to reach the 2019 indicators.

The tangible signal of this improvement is seen in the figures of visitors who arrived in the islands in July: 13,240, the highest number of the last 16 months, where the 10,000 barrier was not passed, according to data from the Galapagos Tourism Chamber.

Although national tourists still represent the majority of that movement, last month the entry of foreigners grew and already represented 48 % of visitors.

Andrés Ordonez, executive director of the Galapagos Chamber of Tourism, believes that the gradual rebound that is reflected in July is linked to the fact that the United States lowered Ecuador's risk alert and that allowed visitors to arrive taking advantage of the summer.

The union spokesman considers that the Vaccination Plan against COVID-19 that was deployed in the archipelago to turn it into a safe destination has been key to pushing the reactivation.

The recovery symptoms generate a certain economic respite and create hope, but there is still work to be done, because the number of visitors that was reached in July only represents 59 % of the 22,603 ​​monthly visitors that the archipelago moved in 2019.

Ordonez argues that it is important that they are made to lower the security alerts that several countries in Europe, such as the United Kingdom and Germany, to travel to Ecuador. From those countries come a part of the tourists who arrive in Galapagos.

The British government, for example, still has Ecuador in the red list of countries with high risk of COVID-19. And maintains demanding restrictions for those who come from Ecuador.

For the Galapagos navigable tourism industry, it is important that these restrictions be cleared, since 28 % of visitors entering the archipelago buy packages to learn about the islands on cruises. That is a market that points to customers of a higher purchasing power.

Enrique Wittmer, Galapagos Tourist Operator, argues that until now most of the visitors who have arrived at the islands go for terrestrial tourism, that is, they stay in the hotels and do not acquire cruise ships.

The spokesman estimates that 50 % of the vessels have resumed their operations and cruise occupations range between 30 % and 40 %.

Of foreigners who are taking cruises, most are Americans, few from Europe.

Wittmer hopes that at the end of this year there will be a better rebound for this sector and in 2022 return to the 2019 levels for this industry.

A study of the Economic Research Center of the Polytechnic School of the Coast, sponsored by the Chamber of Industries and Production, reveals that the cruise industry generates 75 % of total sales for tourism of the islands.

Cruise sales in Galapagos generate income for an approximate total of $ 399 million, which represent 17 % of the total foreign exchange for national receptive tourism, according to the document.

Wittmer argues that despite the complexities represented by the pandemic, the employment places generated by cruises have tried to maintain. The sector uses 1,407 permanent residents and 779 temporary residents.

Within the airport sector there are expectations that things continue to improve in the remainder of this year, although September and October, in general, it has been months in which the flow of tourists falls.

Jorge Rosillo, manager of the Ecological Airport of Galapagos, says that if June and July are compared there is an important deputy and the expectations even surpassed for that period. "We estimate that this rise remains, for this month we have more frequencies," he says.

Avianca, Latam and recently Aeroregional, who enters the space left by Tame, in liquidation arrives at the island of Baltra. Avianca increased frequencies, with two daily flights and an additional pair on weekends; Latam has two newspapers, and Aeroregional is flying two of the five accepted frequencies.

The Baltra Airport, which reaches the largest number of visitors, has 31 weekly frequencies compared to August 44, 2019, when Tame was still operating in that market.

Rosillo estimates that the occupation of the airplanes borders at the moment in 70 %, that is, a little below the 90 % registered in August 2019.