MANAGING THE UNCOMMON COMMONS:

OPTIONS FOR THE REGULATION OF ANTARCTIC TOURISM

By Douglas Vilsack

May, 2003

           The Antarctic, a land regulated commonly between nations under the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), has become an increasingly desirable tourist destination in the last decade.  The Antarctic tourism industry has expanded, growing from an estimated 5,000 visits per year in the early 1990s to over 14,000 visits in the 2002-2003 season.  This thesis presents a detailed history of the Antarctic tourism industry and the Antarctic context, relating cases of ecotourism expansion from around the world in an attempt to examine the necessity of institutionalized regulation.  The cases are explored with an economic perspective, citing the importance of sustainability in the tourism industry.  While visitors to the Antarctic are, at present, guided by environmentally aware operators, a high level of consciousness cannot be expected to endure in the future.  A growing tourism industry could be detrimental to the health of the Antarctic environment, the orderly operation of polar scientific activities and the security of the ATS itself.  The present and possible future effects of the industry must be studied to ensure that tour operators are “paying their own way,” not imposing external costs upon global society and the environment.  As a result of this uncertainty and the possibility that the negative impacts of tour operation far outweigh costs, recommendations for an institutionalized tourism management system are outlined.  The proposed system promotes precaution and sustainability through economic incentives and operation restrictions in the region, attempting to circumvent international hindrances through the utilization of regulatory mechanisms offered by the ATS.