Polar Policy in Practice: Tour Guiding in Antarctica

• Published in: The Yearbook of Polar Law Online
• Main Authors: Nielsen, Hanne, Roldan, Gabriela
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Brill 2023
• Subjects: General Medicine; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica; Yearbook of Polar Law
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/22116427_014010008; https://brill.com/view/journals/yplo/14/1/article-p145_8.xml; https://brill.com/downloadpdf/journals/yplo/14/1/article-p145_8.xml

This paper examines the role of the Antarctic tour guide as the front-line actor in interpreting and enforcing polar policy on the continent. Drawing on interviews with expedition team members, it asks where guides turn for up to date information about sites; where guides see themselves positioned within the structures of Antarctic governance; and how they experience their role as mediators between visitors and the Antarctic environment. Foregrounding the experiences of those who call Antarctica a workplace, the paper also highlights the perceived role of IAATO in the tourism ecosystem, and provides recommendations for how industry, policy-makers and guides can work together to create a more explicit connection between policy and practice in the future.