Tourism in the Antarctic: opportunities, constraints, and future prospects: Thomas G. Bauer; The Haworth Hospitality Press, New York, 2001, pp. xiv+275, ISBN 0-7890-1104-2
✍ Scribed by Ross K. Dowling
- Book ID
- 104314573
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 2003
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 61 KB
- Volume
- 24
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0261-5177
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
This book is a compendium of knowledge on tourism to and in the Antarctic. Bauer is to be commended for this work which will undoubtedly become the benchmark in the field. It is a fascinating read full of history, facts and personal insights into the last great continent. The author's work is based on his many observations and experiences to the Antarctic during seaborne cruises and aerial overflights. He provides a wealth of information on what has already occurred, what is happening at present, and where the future of Antarctic tourism lies.
The book is presented in eight chapters. The first, an introduction, begins by noting that while Antarctica is the least visited continent, tourism there is already well established. Bauer notes that this has ramifications for the Antarctic ecosystem, which is relatively sensitive to disturbance by tourism activities. A general overview of tourism and the environment is described, noting the place of ecotourism, as a form of environmental tourism, and the role of sustainability, the underlying process, which drives it. The background to Antarctic tourism is then described, during which Bauer states that 'the aim of the book is to investigate the current state of commercial Antarctic tourism, including its impacts, to identify the most suitable forms of tourism and to explore its likely future directions' (p. 12).
Chapter 2 provides an overview of tourism at other remote locations including the Arctic, sub-Antarctic islands and the Galapagos Islands. The aim of this chapter is to describe how tourism is structured, organised and managed in other remote regions in order to see what can be learnt and applied to the sustainable management of Antarctic tourism. Bauer concludes that the management of tourism in the Galapagos has much to confer on the Antarctic context, largely due to the preparedness of Ecuador with a plan already in place to deal with emergent tourism. He also suggests that the current tourism management models used in the sub-Antarctic islands of Australia and New Zealand could be adapted to suit the management of tourism sites in the Antarctic.
The third chapter focuses directly on the Antarctic describing its natural environment, history, resource use and current management regime. This provides the