Tourism in the Antarctic Region The Dilemma of Development and Environment Protection

Zygmunt Kruczek

Abstract


More and more often the Antarctic constitutes the goal of exotic travel.  The tourists are attracted here by the entirely different natural conditions, by incredible landscapes and natural phenomena.  Yet the reception potential relating to the tourist movement in Antarctic is limited.  In an attempt to preserve the local ecosystem, the Antarctic Treaty System which assumes that the region will focus on the needs of science and tourism, was introduced.  The Inernational Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO), which drafted the principles of the organization of tourism in this region, is responsible for the coordination of the tourist economy here.  Towards the end of the first decade of the XXI c., the number of tourists in the Antarctic region has exceeded 40 thousand, which seems a maximum figure (the boom phase in the Butler cycle) whereas a further growth of tourism exploration should be restricted, as regards sheer numbers and induced to introduce less harmful tourist behaviour from the point of view of environment protection.

Keywords


Antarctica, exploration, tourism, Butler cycle, development boundaries

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