When you go on an island hopping tour in El Nido, you will be asked by your booking office or your tour guide to pay an “eco tax” or “eco fee”, officially called the Eco-Tourism Development Fee (ETDF). The current rate is 400 PHP for non-Palawan resident tourists. You’ll get a receipt issued under your name, which serves as proof of payment for your different tours during your stay.

Sometimes, tourists complain about this fee because it feels like a hidden cost, often paid right before boarding their tour boat. That said, it’s worth knowing that this tax doesn’t go to your booking office or your tour guide — they’re required to transfer all the money they collect to the municipality.

What’s the purpose of the ETDF?

Its official name is Eco-Tourism Development Fee (ETDF), and its purpose is to finance the Eco-Tourism Development Fund. Established in 2008, this fund supports environmental protection and tourism-related projects in El Nido.

In other words, it’s designed to limit the impact of tourism on the environment and to preserve what makes El Nido such a special place: its fauna and flora. The rates have been revised upwards in recent years to better fund the protection of this exceptional ecosystem.

This video will give you more information on the purpose of this environmental tax:

How much is this environmental fee?

Here is the current ETDF rate sheet in El Nido:

Type of Traveller Non-Palawan Resident Palawan Resident
Tourist 400 PHP 200 PHP
Filipino Government Employees 400 PHP 200 PHP
Filipino Students 300 PHP 100 PHP
Senior Citizens 320 PHP 160 PHP
Children (6-13 years old) 250 PHP 150 PHP
Children below 6 years old Free Free

In any case, know that ALL tour operators in El Nido must transfer the money they collect to the dedicated municipal body. The receipt you get serves as proof of payment for your different tours during your stay.

More about the Eco-Tourism Development Fee

Below is the transcription of an official text displayed in the El Nido municipality. Note: the rates mentioned correspond to the original 2008 ordinance; they have since been updated (see the rate sheet above).

“Eco-Tourism Development Fee (ETDF)”

El Nido is a Managed Resource Protected Area with a total land cover of 92 thousand hectares, surrounded by 45 islands and has 2,645 hectares of mangrove forest. Its ecosystem contains 447 species of coral, 888 species of fish, 5 species of marine turtles and 114 species of birds.

According to studies, the government needs at least PHP 10 million a year to effectively protect this natural habitat.

Before some funding agencies from abroad pulled out, they suggested a unified fee system to make the protection program sustainable. Though the Municipal Government already had annual spending for environmental protection, solid waste management, development of tourism sites and aid to community-managed marine protected areas, threats to the environment remained.

In 2008, the Eco-Tourism Development Fee (ETDF) Ordinance was finally approved. In this fee system, 50% of the fund goes to environment and tourism related projects, 10% to barangay eco-tourism projects, 10% to the Protected Area Management Board, 10% to the general fund of the Municipal Government and 20% to implementation costs.

A body called the “ETDF Task Force” manages the collection and disbursement of the ETDF. The members are representatives of people’s organizations, government offices and non-governmental organizations. The ETDF Task Force installs mooring buoys in different dive sites and snorkeling spots, funds the collection of Crown-of-Thorns starfish (which feed on coral polyps) and organizes regular coastal clean-ups.

The barangays already receive their share from the ETDF Task Force. They use the ETDF to fund maintenance of their sanctuaries, rehabilitation of their mangrove forests, protection of their marine areas and development of community-based eco-tourism.

You can help the ETDF Task Force by paying your ETDF. Be part of the efforts to make El Nido a paradise that lasts.