Activities & Attractions
Extreme Activities
Another thing that makes Antarctica extreme, is the activities available to tourists, many of which are extreme. Some of the most popular extreme activities available in Antarctica include Climbing, Ice landing, Kayaking, Helicopter & Aircraft flying, Snowboarding, Scuba diving and Skiing.
Normal Activities
There are less normal activities than extreme activities, but the normal activities are by far the most popular, with over 90% of the activities done not being extreme. The three most popular normal activities are ways of being transported to Antarctica by boat; these activities include Ship and small boat cruises and Small boat landings. Some other popular normal activities are Station visits, Science support, and Walking.
4: The beautiful Southern Lights attract tourists and scientists to Antarctica.
Attractions
There are many attractions of Antarctica; for extreme tourists, there is the location, environment, landscape, and there are the extreme activities available. The wildlife is also a strong attraction, as penguins and seals are popular among tourists. All activities available (extreme and normal) are also attractions. The Southern Lights are an example of beautiful, awe inspiring natural phenomenon that attract a huge number tourists, as well as scientists. Many scientists visit Antarctica for many reasons; the fact that it is the most untouched region on the planet makes it one of the most important places to do scientific research. Scientists come from all over the world, to study climate, astrophysics, marine biology, geology, ecology and more. The people who study climate in Antarctica, realize the importance of the Antarctic ice sheet to world climate and sea level. Ecologists and marine biologists study the remarkable food chains of the Southern Ocean. Geologists study the key role that Antarctica played in the origin of all Southernmost continents. Examples of research carried out in Antarctica, that is vitally significant in populated areas of the world include: research into satellite communications, the world sea level and the increase in ultraviolet radiation. Antarctica is a naturally amazing place, people may come to experience the amazing natural phenomena when there are 24 hour periods of light or dark, or they may want to experience the unbelievable extremes of temperature, such as -80oC!
Impacts of Tourism in Antarctica
The Impacts of Tourism
The impacts of tourism in Antarctica are great; although tourists only spend a short time ashore, the tourists cause a lot of damage while on land and sea. The tourists cause damage on sea, when boats strike icebergs, uncharted rocks and ice floes, this causes oil spills, which are damaging to wildlife. When ashore, the tourists cause little damage in most parts of Antarctica, but there are places where tourists are concentrated, the more tourists there are in an area, the more damage is caused, so these areas are often severely damaged. To make things worse, the places where tourists are most concentrated are of then the most wildlife-rich and picturesque areas. This means the natural beauty and wildlife of Antarctica suffer. One example of tourists damaging wildlife, is when tourists disturb animals, some animals – especially penguins and seals – are not used to humans, so can be scared away, abandoning eggs or young.
5: Tourists often disturb penguins, scaring them away and forcing them to abandon young.
Coping with the Impacts of Tourism
In order to reduce the amount of litter and waste dumped in Antarctica, tourist ships discharge all waste well away from Antarctic shores. Tourists are warned of the dangers to wildlife of getting to close to wildlife, most tourists who look at wildlife like the animals and, if they like the animals, they are likely to heed the warnings. Tour operators are also educated about the negative impacts of tourism in certain areas; IAATO directs tourism to be safe and environmentally friendly. The number of passengers on landing ships is limited to 500, for two reasons; it helps to reduce the number of tourists in Antarctica to sustainable limits and it reduces the impacts of oil spills, as the ships are smaller, so spill less oil. The Antarctic Treaty states that tourism is acceptable, but should be limited in Antarctica. Visitors are banned from Sites of Special Scientific Interest, in order to conserve precious wildlife and landscapes. Tourists and Scientists must also gain a permit for any activity they want to partake in, on Antarctica.