Image by Cool Text: Logo and Button Generator - Create Your Own Surf, sand and sun pretty much cover what most people expect out of a vacation. Ice and Glaciers? Not so much. Yet destination Antarctica has proven itself to be a once in a lifetime opportunity for the open-minded individual. The continent's landscape is described by many as magical, surreal, unforgettable, and a glimpse of nature in its purest form. There are no tourist shops, no wonderful ethnic foods, and no places to get a tan. Antarctica provides only scenic beauty, looming ice carvings and select animal inhabitants–its appeal to travelers lies in its unparalleled setting and atmosphere that have been a mystery to humans for many years. There are many places to visit to look at animals, plants, landforms and so much more. It is a one in a lifetime opportunity!
Antarctic tourism numbers increased from a couple hundred visitors in 1969 to over 20,000 tourists. Seven people who had previously worked as Antarctic excursion directors began to worry about what impact tourism would have on Antarctica's environment. Creating an organization that would manage environmentally sound cruises was the goal of these seven tour operators; they founded the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO) in 1991. It has become an great voluntary organization with over 80 workers representing 14 different countries. To ensure the safest travel (environmentally as well as physically), it would be best to pick a ship or tour company that is an IAATO member. Visit the official IAATO website, http://www.iaato.org/index.html.
What kind of experience will you have in Antarctica, can depend a lot on what kind of voyage you sign up for! Tourists began to visit Antarctica by air in the 1950s when flights over the Antarctic Peninsula were made. In the 1960s commercial flights were able to travel to Antarctica.
Regular overflights ran between 1977 and 1980 with over 11,000 people taking the trip from Australia and New Zealand. At a meeting in 1979 treaty nations expressed concern at the danger of flying in the turbulent Antarctic atmosphere where there was a lack of radio beacons, meteorological stations and emergency services. Navigation is made more difficult by sunspots which can block out radio communication. Later that year, 257 people were killed when one of these overflights struck Mt Erebus in poor visibility. Overflights were resumed in 1994. Other companies have also made flights over the continent and to the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula from nearby Chile. There are also businesses which arrange flights for private climbing expeditions and trips to the South Pole. Over the many years, approximately 15,000 passengers have reported that they have seen Antarctica over air.
Lately, there has been a lot of talk about the impact tourism will have on Antarctica. Although remoteness and lack of development make Antarctica a difficult and expensive place to visit, there is no shortage of people wanting to make the trip - tourist numbers now exceed the number of scientists and support staff who work there, and are increasing steadily The majority of tourists come from the USA, then Germany and Britain. Some consider tourists an environmental pressure Antarctica could do without. Others note that the tourists are generally well informed and concerned about the Antarctic environment and usually become very good advocates for the protection of Antarctica when they return home. In the past tourist visits have caused damage to slow growing moss beds, disturbed penguins and taken historic items or geological souvenirs. Rubbish and wastes from ships have also been a problem, as has uninvited visits to scientific bases. Nowadays groups are much better regulated and impact has reduced in some areas. Nevertheless, accidents can occur with major consequences for the environment, such as the oil spill after the grounding of the tourist and supply ship Bahai Paraiso on the Antarctic Peninsula. Other large cruise ships have also run aground requiring expensive rescue and repair operations. Some tourist ventures and private expeditions have got into trouble and been assisted by staff from scientific bases. This can be a disruption to research activity as well as placing demands on staff whose responsibilities do not include managing tourists.
Click on the link for a full report, by The Times Newspaper, about the impact tourism will has on Antarctica: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/holiday_type/cruises/article1886800.ece
Basically nowadays if you want to visit Antarctica for a tour, you will have to travel there by ship. You will start to travel to Antarctica from a nearby country e.g. Australia. The trip might take from 10 days to a month depending on the weather and climate and what type of tour you are on. These tours are very expensive but worthwhile, you will have the opportunity to explore the amazing environment and wildlife. NOTE: There are requirements for travelling to Antarctica, please check them if you do plan to travel. There are a number of ships every year that travel to Antarctica for tours and here are some links to websites of tour companies that are able to take you to Antarctica: http://www.iaato.org/index.html http://www.chimuadventures.com http://www.scenictours.com.au http://www.orionexpeditions.com http://www.aussiecruising.com.au
There are also many more tourism companies that can take you to Antarctica but these are just a few links to some websites of some companies.
Image by Cool Text: Logo and Button Generator - Create Your Own
Surf, sand and sun pretty much cover what most people expect out of a vacation. Ice and Glaciers? Not so much. Yet destination Antarctica has proven itself to be a once in a lifetime opportunity for the open-minded individual. The continent's landscape is described by many as magical, surreal, unforgettable, and a glimpse of nature in its purest form. There are no tourist shops, no wonderful ethnic foods, and no places to get a tan. Antarctica provides only scenic beauty, looming ice carvings and select animal inhabitants–its appeal to travelers lies in its unparalleled setting and atmosphere that have been a mystery to humans for many years. There are many places to visit to look at animals, plants, landforms and so much more. It is a one in a lifetime opportunity!
Antarctic tourism numbers increased from a couple hundred visitors in 1969 to over 20,000 tourists. Seven people who had previously worked as Antarctic excursion directors began to worry about what impact tourism would have on Antarctica's environment. Creating an organization that would manage environmentally sound cruises was the goal of these seven tour operators; they founded the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO) in 1991. It has become an great voluntary organization with over 80 workers representing 14 different countries. To ensure the safest travel (environmentally as well as physically), it would be best to pick a ship or tour company that is an IAATO member. Visit the official IAATO website, http://www.iaato.org/index.html.
What kind of experience will you have in Antarctica, can depend a lot on what kind of voyage you sign up for!
Tourists began to visit Antarctica by air in the 1950s when flights over the Antarctic Peninsula were made. In the 1960s commercial flights were able to travel to Antarctica.
Regular overflights ran between 1977 and 1980 with over 11,000 people taking the trip from Australia and New Zealand. At a meeting in 1979 treaty nations expressed concern at the danger of flying in the turbulent Antarctic atmosphere where there was a lack of radio beacons, meteorological stations and emergency services. Navigation is made more difficult by sunspots which can block out radio communication. Later that year, 257 people were killed when one of these overflights struck Mt Erebus in poor visibility. Overflights were resumed in 1994. Other companies have also made flights over the continent and to the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula from nearby Chile. There are also businesses which arrange flights for private climbing expeditions and trips to the South Pole. Over the many years, approximately 15,000 passengers have reported that they have seen Antarctica over air.
Lately, there has been a lot of talk about the impact tourism will have on Antarctica. Although remoteness and lack of development make Antarctica a difficult and expensive place to visit, there is no shortage of people wanting to make the trip - tourist numbers now exceed the number of scientists and support staff who work there, and are increasing steadily The majority of tourists come from the USA, then Germany and Britain. Some consider tourists an environmental pressure Antarctica could do without. Others note that the tourists are generally well informed and concerned about the Antarctic environment and usually become very good advocates for the protection of Antarctica when they return home. In the past tourist visits have caused damage to slow growing moss beds, disturbed penguins and taken historic items or geological souvenirs. Rubbish and wastes from ships have also been a problem, as has uninvited visits to scientific bases. Nowadays groups are much better regulated and impact has reduced in some areas. Nevertheless, accidents can occur with major consequences for the environment, such as the oil spill after the grounding of the tourist and supply ship Bahai Paraiso on the Antarctic Peninsula. Other large cruise ships have also run aground requiring expensive rescue and repair operations. Some tourist ventures and private expeditions have got into trouble and been assisted by staff from scientific bases. This can be a disruption to research activity as well as placing demands on staff whose responsibilities do not include managing tourists.
Click on the link for a full report, by The Times Newspaper, about the impact tourism will has on Antarctica:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/holiday_type/cruises/article1886800.ece
Basically nowadays if you want to visit Antarctica for a tour, you will have to travel there by ship. You will start to travel to Antarctica from a nearby country e.g. Australia. The trip might take from 10 days to a month depending on the weather and climate and what type of tour you are on. These tours are very expensive but worthwhile, you will have the opportunity to explore the amazing environment and wildlife. NOTE: There are requirements for travelling to Antarctica, please check them if you do plan to travel. There are a number of ships every year that travel to Antarctica for tours and here are some links to websites of tour companies that are able to take you to Antarctica:
http://www.iaato.org/index.html
http://www.chimuadventures.com
http://www.scenictours.com.au
http://www.orionexpeditions.com
http://www.aussiecruising.com.au
There are also many more tourism companies that can take you to Antarctica but these are just a few links to some websites of some companies.
PICTURES
Russian icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov takes tourists into the Weddell Sea. Image source: http://www.anta.canterbury.ac.nz/resources/tourism.html
The expedition ship National Geographic Explorer. Image source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Antarctica
A Basler BT-67 owned by Antarctic Logistics Centre International and used for tourist flights in Antarctica, at the South Pole in December 2009. Image Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_
Tourists in Antarctica. Image source: www.aad.gov.au/ default.asp?casid=250
Here are sneak peek videos of what tourism in Antarctica is like. Enjoy!
Antarctica Tourism Statistics
(Source: http://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/science/threats_tourism.htm)
How many people go to Antarctica as tourists and where do they come from?
Antarctica Tourist Numbers 2007 - 2008
Seaborne, Airborne, Landed and Cruise
What do tourists do once they are in Antarctica?
Antarctica Tourist Activities 2007 - 2008
Bibliography:
Human Impacts on Antarctica and Threats to the Environment - Tourism, Cool Antarctica, (online), at http://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/science/threats_tourism.htm.
Antarctica Cruise and Travel Guide - The basics, Cool Antarctica, (online), at http://www.coolantarctica.com/Travel/antarctica_travel_home.htm.
Tourism in Antarctica, (online), at http://www.anta.canterbury.ac.nz/resources/tourism.html.
Tourism in Antarctica, (online), at http://antarctica.kulgun.net/Tourism/.
Tourism in Antarctica, (online), at http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/be-a-responsible-tourist/tourism-in-antarctica.
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