From frozen continent to tourism hotspot? Five decades of Antarctic tourism development and management, and a glimpse into the future

Representing the main commercial activity on the Antarctic continent, Antarctic tourism is increasingly thrust into the limelight as both benefactor and detractor to the environmental and political integrity of Antarctica. In view of its unprecedented growth, questions arise about the limitations of future tourism development in Antarctica. This paper assesses Antarctic tourism development over the last five decades and evaluates its current and future status from the viewpoints of Antarctic tourism stakeholders. This assessment is informed by interviews with Antarctic tourism stakeholders and a Delphi study undertaken in 2007. The authors found that Antarctic tourism stakeholders are concerned about the increasing scale and diversification of Antarctic tourism and generally subscribe to a conservation imperative when expressing their hopes for the future use of Antarctica and the development of Antarctic tourism. In conclusion, the rapid development of Antarctic tourism requires structural, institutional and legislative changes if Antarctic tourism regulation is to remain successful.