Opportunities, Constraints, and Future Prospects
Thomas G. Bauer
Ecotourism and adventure tours offer unique tourism opportunities in the Antarctic. The book 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.
In the book 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
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 scientific volume.