Research on shipborne tourism to the Ross Sea region and the New Zealand sub-Antarctic islands

• Published in: Polar Record
• Main Authors: Cessford, Gordon, Dingwall, Paul R.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1998
• Subjects: General Earth and Planetary Sciences; Ecology; Geography, Planning and Development; Antarctic; Ross Sea; New Zealand; Antarc*; Antarctica; Macquarie Island; Polar Record
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0032247400015230; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0032247400015230

Abstract An ongoing programme of tourist survey research, conducted since the 1990/91 summer season, is summarised. While focusing initially on the nature reserves of the New Zealand sub-Antarctic islands, the programme was subsequently extended to encompass related tourist visits to Macquarie Island (Australia) and the Ross Sea region of Antarctica. In accordance with expressed management information needs, the research objectives and the methodology, based on questionnaires distributed by national representatives aboard tour vessels, have evolved from general descriptive visitor surveys to more site-specific visitor assessments. Research findings emphasised that these tourists constitute a distinctive activity group. The impact issues they reported were mainly related to trampling and some site-specific wildlife disturbance, with other impact issues not being prominent. No notable dissatisfactions were apparent or visit improvements demanded, and strong support was indicated for most of the management restrictions applied to onshore visits. Methodological lessons from conducting this survey programme are briefly summarised, and suggestions for future research directions are made, with more emphasis on post-voyage evaluation surveys and assessments of physical impacts related to tourist visits.