Environmentalists try to cut Antarctic tourism

Friday, 14 Feb, 2003 0

Efforts are being made to REDUCE the number of tourists visiting Antarctica amid fears that mass tourism is ruining the environment.

According to Anthony Browne in The Times, visitor numbers to the continent have more than tripled in the last 10 years – from less than 5,000 to more than 15,000 – and the numbers are expected to keep on rising fast in coming years.

While the numbers are small, environmentalists say tourists are already starting to ruin what the newspaper calls “the world’s last great wilderness”.

The fight to control tourism is being led by the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition, a group of some 240 organisations determined to protect the region. A spokesman told The Times: “We are concerned about the pattern of growth of the industry and that there is no mechanism to regulate this activity. We are worried about the impact on important environmental sites.”

However, Denise Landau, of the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators, countered: “There is no environmental impact that anyone can put a finger on. You go back to where tourists are landing and you can’t see any impacts. The tourism is well managed.”

Read the whole article at www.timesonline.co.uk.



 



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