Antarctic tourism: an overview of 1992/1993 season activity, recent developments, and emerging issues

Polar Record ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 30 (173) ◽  
pp. 105-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debra J. Enzenbacher
Keyword(s):  
International Association ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Treaty Negotiations ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Emerging Issues ◽  
Antarctic Treaty ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Tour Operator

AbstractAntarctic tourism is evolving at an ever-increasing pace. More than 7000 tourists, a record number, visited the Antarctic aboard cruise ships, yachts, and aircraft during the 1992/1993 season. As annual tourist, tour operator, cruise, and cruise ship totals increase, so do the number of landing sites used for tour visits. Although the Antarctic tourism industry was once characterized by small expedition-sized vessels, 50% of Antarctic cruise passengers travelled aboard ships with a capacity of 250 or more during the 1992/1993 season. These developments present challenges to Antarctic policy makers. There is growing awareness that environmental issues arising from Antarctic tourist activity are increasingly important, but, to date, comprehensive data on Antarctic tourism are not available from a central source. This study compiles data from numerous sources in order to develop a clearer picture of the nature and scale of Antarctic tourist activity. In an effort to present an overview of Antarctic tourism, data from the 1992/1993 season are considered along with important issues in the tourism debate, including significant trends and recent developments in the tourism industry, Antarctic tourism research, tourist landings in Antarctica, industrial self-regulation, emerging issues, Antarctic Treaty negotiations on tourism, and national initiatives to improve dialogue between the industry and Antarctic policy makers. Research is underway to understand better the nature of tourist visits and the effect they have on the Antarctic environment and related ecosystems. The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) plays an important role in disseminating information to tour operators planning visits to the Antarctic, but more could be done by this organization and non-members of IAATO to comply with Treaty provisions. Improved compliance with Treaty provisions and tour operator and visitor guidelines is needed, at least until the environmental effects of tour visits are better understood and the more comprehensive regulation set out in the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty is implemented.

scholarly journals Sea-Borne Tourism in Antarctica: Avenues for Further Intergovernmental Regulation

2005 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik Jaap Molenaar
Keyword(s):  
International Association ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
International Regulation ◽  
The Past ◽  
Cruise Tourism ◽  
Antarctic Treaty ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Antarctic Treaty System

AbstractDuring the past 3,5 decades, sea-borne (cruise) tourism in Antarctica has steadily intensified and diversified. So far, the States involved in the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), who have collectively assumed a mandate as well as a responsibility for governing Antarctica, have been relatively passive as a collective and have largely relied on direct and indirect regulation from outside the ATS, most importantly on self-regulation by the tourism industry through the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). In view of the gradual intensification and diversification of Antarctic tourism, the abovementioned responsibility of the Consultative Parties to the Antarctic Treaty (ATCPs) and the need to safeguard the international legitimacy of the ATS, this article examines avenues for further international regulation by the ATCPs. This is in part done by exploring the meaning of the acronym IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated) in the sphere of Antarctic sea-borne tourism, to what extent it occurs and how some forms can be addressed.

Recent developments in relations between the United Kingdom and the Argentine Republic in the South Atlantic/Antarctic region

Polar Record ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus Dodds ◽  
Alan D. Hemmings
Keyword(s):  
White Paper ◽  
South Atlantic ◽  
The South ◽  
Antarctic Region ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Current State ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Antarctic Treaty ◽  
Overseas Territories ◽  
The Antarctic

ABSTRACTThis article assesses the current state of UK-Argentine relations with reference to the South Atlantic and Antarctic region. Three major themes are pursued: the current state of UK-Argentine relations, with the contested Falklands/Malvinas looming large in the assessment, alongside fisheries management around South Georgia; the mapping of Argentine Antarctic territory in the context of extended continental shelf delimitation; and finally, the recent UK White Paper on Overseas Territories is noted insofar as it marks the most recent public assessment of how the coalition government is attempting to manage the most southerly portions of the British Overseas Territories portfolio. The article concludes with a warning that there is a danger that worsening UK-Argentine relations might begin to have more profound implications for the Antarctic Treaty System as resource, sovereignty and territorial issues acquire more piquancy.

Bioprospecting in Antarctica and the Arctic. Common Challenges?

2009 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-174
Author(s):  
David Leary
Keyword(s):  
The Arctic ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Contact Group ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
History Of ◽  
Antarctic Treaty ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Antarctic Treaty System

Abstract Bioprospecting is occurring in the Arctic and Antarctica. This paper considers evidence on the nature and scale of bioprospecting in the Polar Regions. The paper then aims to draw out some of the critical issues in this debate by examining recent developments in the context of the Antarctic Treaty System. After an introduction to the history of the debate on bioprospecting in the Antarctic context it examines the recent Report of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (‘ATCM’) Intersessional Contact Group to examine the issue of Biologocal Prospecting in the Antarctic Treaty Area tabled at ATCM XVII in Kiev in June 2008. The paper then concludes with some brief thoughts on the relevance of the Arctic experience to the debate in relation to Antarctica and whether or not there is an ‘Arctic Model’ for a response to the bioprospecting question in Antarctica. It is argued that rather than there being one Arctic model there is in fact a spectrum of models and experiences to choose from.

A continent surrounded by advice: recent reports on Antarctica

Polar Record ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 24 (151) ◽  
pp. 285-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J. Beck
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
European Parliament ◽  
International Affairs ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Future ◽  
Antarctic Treaty ◽  
The United Nations ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Antarctic Treaty System

AbstractThe enhanced international significance of Antarctica during the 1980s is shown by a proliferation of studies analysing current and future possibilities. The year 1987 proved no exception to this trend; reports issued under the auspices of the European Parliament, the United Nations and the David Davies Memorial Institute of International Affairs reinforced the impression that Antarctica has become a continent surrounded by advice, even if it proves difficult to evaluate how far such reports will influence the policy-makers. Conservation proved a common feature, while the reports, discussed in this article, raise interesting questions about the future of the Antarctic Treaty system.

Antarctic arms control as past precedent

Polar Record ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 330-333
Author(s):  
Ryan A. Musto
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Regional Differences ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Arms Control ◽  
The United States ◽  
Treaty Negotiations ◽  
Antarctic Treaty ◽  
The Antarctic

AbstractThe 1959 Antarctic Treaty made Antarctica the world’s first and only demilitarised continent, the world’s first denuclearised zone, and pioneered a comprehensive inspections system. This article explores Antarctic arms control as past precedent. It finds that the United States, which spearheaded the Antarctic Treaty negotiations, initially rationalised arms control in Antarctica as an isolated endeavour. Yet its potential elsewhere quickly appealed to various officials involved in the treaty negotiations and aligned with public perception. Subsequent initiatives for arms control took broad inspiration from the Antarctic Treaty, but regional differences limited specific adaptations.

Tourists in Antarctica: numbers and trends

Polar Record ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 28 (164) ◽  
pp. 17-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debra J. Enzenbacher
Keyword(s):  
International Association ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
The Self ◽  
Support Personnel ◽  
Hard Data ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
History Of ◽  
Antarctic Treaty ◽  
Suitable Framework

AbstractApproximately 39 000 tourists have visited Antarctica since 1957; numbers peryearare provided. Abrief history of sea and airborne tourism in Antarctica reveals past and current trends. The formation of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators and its role in the self-regulated tourism industry in Antarctica are considered, together with the implications of recently-promulgated Antarctic Treaty Recommendation XVI-13. The number of tourists visiting Antarctica is shown to exceed the combined number of scientists and support personnel from all National Antarctic Programs. It is concluded that the ATS provides a suitable framework within which to develop measures to protect Antarctica from tourist activity. However, regulations developed must be based on hard data on the size and impact of the industry to be effectively implemented.

Tourists’ Non-Compliant Behaviours in Antarctica: An Assessment of Adherence to Pro-Environmental Guidelines

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
John B. Read IV ◽  
Susan L. Slocum ◽  
Margaret J. Daniels ◽  
Brenda P. Wiggins
Keyword(s):  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
International Association ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Knowledge Gap ◽  
Landing Sites ◽  
The Status ◽  
Environmental Guidelines ◽  
Antarctic Treaty ◽  
The Antarctic

Research on compliance of tourists to guidelines in Antarctica has been limited. This investigation explores if the current reporting methods sufficiently provide an accurate measure of tourists’ non-compliance. Specifically, the study addresses the compliance knowledge gap regarding Antarctic tourist behaviours by documenting instances of non-compliance with the General Guidelines for Visitors to the Antarctic (GGVA) to determine if the Antarctic Treaty Inspection Program (ATIP) and industry reports accurately reflect the frequency of non-compliance in the Antarctic. Conducted in-situ at four landing sites along the Antarctic Peninsula, documented instances of non-compliance, occur at a frequency of 1.63 instances per minute ashore. Based on available data from the ATIP and the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators, this frequency of non-compliance challenges the status-quo and implies that further investigation is necessary.

The United Nations and Antarctica, 2005: the end of the ‘Question of Antarctica’?

Polar Record ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 217-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J. Beck
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
Major Change ◽  
United Nations Environment Programme ◽  
Draft Resolution ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Antarctic Treaty ◽  
The United Nations ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
First Time ◽  
Nations Environment

In November 2005 the ‘Question of Antarctica’ was taken up yet again by the UN First Committee. Following formal placement upon its agenda in 1983 by the Malaysian government, the UN has discussed the topic regularly, initially annually, then biennially, but more recently upon a triennial basis. As usual, in 2005 UN members were guided by a lengthy report produced for the United Nations Secretary General (UNSG) by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in order to outline recent developments affecting Antarctica and the Antarctic Treaty system (ATS). In November 2005 the UN First Committee, acting upon proposed amendments advanced by the Malaysian delegation, agreed to a major change of course. Thus, resolution L60, adopted by the committee without a vote, stipulated that the UN, though remaining ‘seized’ of the ‘Question of Antarctica’, would not place the topic upon the agenda of the 63rd. session in 2008. Nor would the UNSG be required, henceforth, to produce a report on Antarctica for members. In December 2005, the UN General Assembly adopted draft resolution L60 as resolution 60/47, once again without a vote. As a result, for the first time since 1983, the UN is no longer scheduled to return to the ‘Question of Antarctica’. Meanwhile, the episode has raised interesting questions about future developments: the UN's role, if any, in the ‘Question of Antarctica’, the direction of Malaysian policy towards the ATS, including membership thereof; the continued ability of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties (ATCPs) to manage Antarctica in a democratic, transparent and accountable manner without attracting criticism from the broader international community; and the relevance of the common heritage principle to the Antarctic region.

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