Tourism in a Unique Destination: Case study Antarctica

• Published in: The Academic Research Community publication
• Main Author: Pelagia Moloni
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Antarctica; last chance tourism; expedition cruises; ecosystem; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://zenodo.org/record/8227707; https://doi.org/10.21625/archive.v7i2.964

Tourism in Antarctica has been dynamically developed in recent decades, although it is located in a small geographical pa rt of the continent. The main rea son that visitors plan a trip to the destination when the opportunity is given is the natura l landscape and wildlife. In addition, the overheating of the planet that causes ice to melt has enhanced the feeling of fear, a s there is severe environmental concern for the coming years. Space and sea sonal exclusions make it even more special, and the tourist product that is offered by this continent is expensive and requires a lot of preparation. Tourism activity in such a fragile environment has sparked several reactions in the past, ma inly from the scientific community, which is the main recipient of the negative effects of tourism. Furthermore, organized efforts have been ma de so that the offered product will promote more environmentally friendly trips that will affect the ecosystem a s little as possible. The main objective of this research is to analyze this kind of tourism because of the need for new forms. The positive and negative impacts that tourism can have on the environment and the statistics on the arrivals and countries of origin of tourists in recent years are analyzed. Moreover, the tourist packages that seem to be in the greatest demand among visitors are presented. The main research question of this pa per is whether this destination ca n host intense tourism activity. Following a n extensive bibliographic review, the research makes it clear that the study a rea cannot support strong tourism activity, even though future tourism forecasts report a n additional increase in arrivals.