Tourism in the Antarctic: Modi Operandi and Regulatory Effectiveness
Antarctic tourism represents the largest and fastest growing commercial activity on the Antarctic continent. Under consideration of its unprecedented growth and diversification, the Antarctic tourism sector is viewed with increasing scrutiny and concern. This concern is expressed in discussions surr...
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| Format: | Other/Unknown Material |
| Language: | English |
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University of Canterbury. Gateway Antarctica
2008
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10092/1589 https://doi.org/10.26021/6910 |
| Summary: | Antarctic tourism represents the largest and fastest growing commercial activity on the Antarctic continent. Under consideration of its unprecedented growth and diversification, the Antarctic tourism sector is viewed with increasing scrutiny and concern. This concern is expressed in discussions surrounding the success and effectiveness of the existing regulatory framework for Antarctic tourism and asks what changes might be required to adequately protect the Antarctic continent in the future. Viewpoints and interests among Antarctic tourism operators, policy-makers, researchers and other stakeholders diverge, and Antarctic tourism is discussed as being either or both benefactor and detractor to the environmental and political integrity of Antarctica. This thesis discusses, regulations drawing on regime theory, the effectiveness of Antarctic tourism. It postulates the theory that the combined regulatory efforts of Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties (ATCPs) and industry self-regulation through the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) define the Antarctic tourism regime. Using interviews and a Delphi study as the primary methods of inquiry, stakeholder viewpoints on regulatory and operational characteristics of Antarctic tourism were collected and integrated into a discussion of the effectiveness of the current regulatory regime and an assessment of potential options for regulating Antarctic tourism in the future. The interviews provide insights particularly into operational matters and the in situ practice of tour operators and their compliance with existing regulations. The Delphi study focuses on how the current regulatory issues are addressed, how rules and regulation are enacted and whether the current regulatory framework needs improvement. The thesis research shows that Antarctic tourism stakeholders are concerned about the increasing scale and diversification of Antarctic tourism and generally subscribe to a conservation imperative when assessing potential options for the future ... |
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