Sustainable Tourism in Antarctica: A Case Study of Tourism’s Impact on the Ecosystem of Antarctica

• Main Author: He, Yueqi
• Other Authors: Liu, Claire
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Auckland University of Technology 2021
• Subjects: Antarctica; Antarctic tourism; Environmental protection; Antarctic tourists; Sustainable tourism; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10292/13981

With the development of technology and infrastructure and increasing interest in the polar areas, Antarctic tourism has grown fast in recent years. Antarctica is inevitably facing more difficult and complicated challenges; therefore, some scholars and researchers have a pessimistic view on such rapid growth of tourism. The aim of this study is to explore the environmental impacts brought by Antarctic tourism and sustainable tourism in the Antarctic. Using secondary sources of information, this qualitative study collected data from the social media platforms of Zhihu and Mafengwo. The tourists’ comments on Antarctic experiences were analysed using thematic analysis. The results showed the real situation of Antarctic tourism and the development of sustainable tourism in the Antarctic. Combining secondary information and the stories shared by the tourists online, the study contributes to knowledge and understandings of Antarctica tourism and the impacts of developing sustainable tourism in Antarctic.