Antarctic tourism has experienced a boom in recent years, and the remote continent attracts a record number of tourists. In 2024, the astonishing figure of 122,000 people who traveled to Antarctica represented a huge increase compared to the 44,000 visitors recorded in 2017.
The vast majority of tourists who travel with the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO) arrive on cruises. Only 1% arrive on the continent by plane.
Luxury Cruises: Accessibility and Control
Luxury cruises have made the destination accessible to a wider variety of people and are now a firm adventure on many wish lists. There are regulations that control the frequency, duration, and number of people visiting any site in the region, with a maximum of 100 people authorized to disembark at a site at a time.
While in terms of cruises, a ship with fewer than 270 passengers is considered small, in Antarctica any ship with 150-270 passengers is considered large, as not everyone can disembark at once. Many luxury ships with over 200 guests make more than one landing a day.
Environmental Impact of Antarctic Tourism
The rapid increase in Antarctic tourism has experts concerned about the environmental consequences. Human presence in this fragile ecosystem carries a myriad of different risks. Conservationists claim that the increase in tourist traffic is already having repercussions in Antarctica.
Researchers from the University of Santiago de Chile have discovered that the blinding white landscape of the continent is darkening.
The snow surrounding tourist landing sites and research stations has been darkening each year. They confirmed that this dramatic anomaly is being caused by black carbon produced by ships, helicopters, planes, trucks, and diesel generators that humans take to Antarctica.
Darker snow melts faster, and researchers estimate that each visitor causes Antarctica to lose about 83 tons of snow. They also bring vehicles to the white continent, so it is undeniable that they have an impact, but tourists also contribute to the problem.
Cruise ship carbon emissions are also a problem. The average tourist trip to Antarctica generates 5.44 tons of CO2 emissions per passenger, or 0.49 tons per passenger per day. All of this contributes to global warming, which drives the rise in temperatures on the continent. This same year, scientists observed a heatwave in Antarctica where temperatures reached 10ºC above average.
Measures to Minimize Environmental Impact
Some cruise companies are trying to reduce the environmental impact of travelers they take to Antarctica. Quark offers “small” expeditions with more immersive experiences and ships that can travel to remote areas not overcrowded by large cruises.
“Sustainability is at the core of everything we do at Quark Expeditions,” says Lyndsey Lewis, the company’s sustainability manager. “It informs how we operate within our organization, design and execute our expeditions, and engage with the pristine environments we have the privilege to explore,” Lewis adds.
For Quark’s cruise passengers and other members of IAATO, there is a mandatory briefing on protecting Antarctica. It includes information on how to decontaminate boots before boarding, how to vacuum seeds or other foreign materials from clothing, and in general, how to clean equipment to avoid contaminating Antarctica.
Currently, this also includes protection against the growing threat of avian flu in the region. After major outbreaks in South America, the virus was first detected in Antarctica in late 2023 or early 2024. Limiting the spread is vital to avoid the collapse of the isolated populations of wildlife on the continent.
Facilitating research in remote regions is also one of the travel company’s objectives. “We actively collaborate with researchers and conservationists by welcoming them on board our ships and providing access to some of the most remote areas of the Arctic and Antarctic,” adds Lyndsey.
Quark claims to have been collaborating with Penguin Watch for 13 years, an initiative focused on studying penguin ecology and developing practical conservation strategies. Researchers aboard the company’s ships have conducted penguin colony counts, collecting fundamental data and sharing their knowledge with passengers.
Cover photo AP Photo/Brian Witte
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