Tourism in the Antarctic: Opportunities, Constraints, and Future Prospects

Summary

Ecotourism and adventure tours offer unique tourism opportunities in the Antarctic! Are you prepared to make the most of them?

Tourism in the Antarctic analyzes tourism activities in the most remote tourist destination in the world! It establishes visitor profiles; discusses the impacts of tourism on the region; and explores barriers, opportunities, and future directions in Antarctic tourism.

The emergence of ecotourism has turned Antarctica into an increasingly popular tourist destination for intrepid travelers. During the 1999/2000 season, approximately 15,000 passengers visited Antarctica by ship. Tourism in the Antarctic discusses the new and exciting opportunities for tourism business operators in the region, as well as the ramifications of increased numbers of visitors to this unique environment.

In these pages, you will find discussions of issues related to Antarctic tourism including:

• regulation of the tourism industry under the Antarctic Treaty System, and self-regulation provided by business operators
• trends and predictions for numbers of visitors to the region
• tourist attractions that are natural, man-made, spiritual, or scientific in nature
• wildlife of Antarctica: seals and whales, flying sea birds, penguins, etc.
• international law as it relates to the region
• ship-based tourism opportunities from yachts and small expedition-type vessels to very large cruise ships and icebreakers
• air- and land-based tourism opportunities in the region from private expeditions to overflights
• an overview of current tourism operations in other remote areas: the Arctic region, the Galapagos Islands, Alaska, New Zealand's Sub-Antarctic Islands, and more

The author's observations and experiences during cruises to the Antarctic Peninsula, the sub-Antarctic islands and the Ross Sea, as well as during overflights of Antarctica, are the basis of this unique volume. Generously embellished with charts and tables that make it easy to track activities, opinions, trends, and environmental statistics, this book is an essential reference for anyone teaching, studying, or planning to operate a tourism business in this part of the world.

Table of Contents

Contents

• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Abbreviations and Acronyms
• Chapter 1. Introduction
• Tourism and the Environment
• Background to Antarctic Tourism
• Limitations
• Definitions
• Chapter Outlines
• Concluding Comments
• Chapter 2. Tourism Operations and Management in Remote Areas: The Galapagos Islands, Arctic Region, and Sub-Antarctic Islands
• Introduction
• Galapagos Islands
• Arctic Region
• Sub-Antarctic Island
• Concluding Comments
• Chapter 3. Antarctica: The Resource and the Industry
• Introduction: The Resource
• Antarctica Defined
• The Natural Environment: Geography, Wildlife, and Flora
• Human Involvement in Antarctica
• Antarctica in the Context of International Law
• Conventions, Protocols, and Recommendations Under the Antarctic Treaty System
• Antarctic Resource Use
• Scientific Stations
• Concluding Comments
• Chapter 4. Antarctic Tourism: Development, Operation, and Management
• Introduction
• Tourism Definitions
• Antarctic Tourists
• The Antarctic Tour Cycle
• Tourist Attractions
• Antarctic Tourist Sites
• History of Antarctic Tourism
• Antarctic Tourism Products
• Ship-Based Tourism
• Aviation
• Land-Based Tourism
• Private Expeditions
• Management and Regulation of Commercial Antarctic Tourism
• Concluding Comment
• Chapter 5. The Impacts of Commercial Antarctic Tourism
• Antarctic Tourism Activities in Perspective
• Environmental Impacts of Antarctic Tourism in the Academic Literature
• Environmental Impacts of Antarctic Tourism in the Popular Press
• Observations of the Impact of Antarctic Tourism Activities
• Concluding Comments
• Chapter 6. Antarctic Tourists: Motivations, Expectations, and Images of Antarctica As a Tourist Destination
• Visitor Profiles in the Literature
• Background of the Visitor Surveys
• Analysis of Shipborne Tourist Responses Prior to Landing in Antarctica
• Analysis of Shipborne Antarctic Tourist Responses After Visiting the Antarctic
• Characteristics of Overflight Passengers and Their Images and Attitudes Toward Antarctica As a Tourist Destination
• Comparative Perceptual Images of Antarctic Visitors
• Concluding Comments
• Chapter 7. The Future of Antarctic Tourism
• Background to the Delphi Method
• The Delphi Technique Applied to Tourism
• Method and Panel Selection
• Legitimacy and Preferred Present Types of Tourism in the Antarctic
• The Future of Commercial Tourism in Antarctica and Its Impacts
• Other Types of Future Tourism Activities in Antarctica
• Future Developments in Antarctic Tourism
• Concluding Comments
• Chapter 8. Observations on the Operation of Tourism in Antarctica
• Sea-Borne Tourism in the Antarctic Peninsula
• Sea-Borne Tourism in the Ross Sea
• Operational Issues
• Observation of Antarctic Overflights
• Conclusion
• Opportunities for Future Research
• Bibliography
• Index
• Reference Notes Included