Only 400 tourists at a time can visit this stunning, one-of-a-kind island escape — here’s why

Clamping down on mass tourism is in the news lately, as cities around the globe look for ways to deter the hordes and preserve quality of life for the locals.

But there’s one stunning destination most people have probably never heard of that plans on staying out of the spotlight — and they’ve been doing it by severely limiting the number of tourists permitted to enter for a whopping 40 years.

Welcome to Lord Howe Island — that is, if you’re lucky enough to be one of the 400 people allowed in at a time.

“The longer we can keep it more unique like this, the more unique we are in the world,” Anthony Riddle, a sixth-generation islander and businessman told CNN.

Located 372 miles off the east coast of mainland Australia, the jewel box destination has a permanent population of about 380 residents who respect and reserve their home as their ancestors have for generations.

Tourism first took off in 1947, but by the late 1970s, locals were already cognizant of the need to protect the island’s unique ecosystem — an effort that helped earn Lord Howe recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1982. That’s when local leaders decided to throttle tourism — a decision that they’ve stuck with ever since.

And it seems to have worked.

Today, the island remains densely packed with rare plants and animals — some that are found nowhere else in the world — along with the ocean waters surrounding the seven-mile land mass.

Over 85% of the island is covered in its native forest, and around 70% is in a Permanent Park Preserve, prohibiting any development from taking place, according to Lord Howe Environmental Tours.

But the intense effort by locals and conscious tourists, the days of the natural beauty and wonders of Lord Howe could be numbered — as the climate changes, coral bleaching is killing the reefs and the rainforest is dying.

However, that hasn’t stopped the islanders from maintaining their eco-friendly way of life or deterred tourists — the destination is booked through 2026.

Tourists come to swim through the coral reefs, enjoy the pristine beaches, hike through the cloud forest and participate in local conservation programs.

Dean Hiscox, who runs Lord Howe Environmental Tours, said that the people who live on or visit the island have a “united desire to make sure that nature comes out on top.”

“Those families that have been here for those five, six, seven generations have always recognized how special their lifestyle is here,” said Ian Hutton, a naturalist and photographer who has lived locally since 1980.

“There is that strong generational feeling of protecting their island.”