Tourism in Antarctica: History, Current Challenges and Proposals for Regulation

Tourism in the Antarctic has experienced rapid growth throughout the last fifteen years with over 30,000 people visiting the white continent during the 2005 - 2006 season. Such expansion offers a host of new activities for visitors to explore this immense wilderness, yet it brings considerable unease over the future of Antarctica. As of 1961, issues concerning the white continent have been dealt with under the Antarctic Treaty System, which has provided the forum for the discussion of numerous measures. This paper looks into the history of tourism, analyzes the main challenges such industry poses, and attempts an assessment of several proposals using available statistic data, with a view of identifying data whose implementation would probably have higher effectiveness. As a result, stricter safety measures for Antarctic navigation appear as the most pressing measure, while expansion of the jurisdictional scheme and adequate treatment of invasive species need accomplishment, too