Turismo en la Antártida: Precisiones conceptuales, principios generales y perspectivas teóricas

Abstract

For half a century Antarctic tourism has turned from being an elitist activity to become an economic sector that attracts a growing number of travelers. At present, the current human presence on the Antarctic continent brings about a dichotomy; on the one hand, nature tourists cruises, which may or may not land in Antarctica; on the other hand, scientific missions (another example of tourists), that in many cases maintain a continuous presence throughout the year. In this paper we examine thisunique aspect, relating to international legislative regulation, reviewing theoretical approaches contributed by different authors, characterizing the problems arising from tourism and ecological impact of specifying the recent trends of Antarctic tourism from a geographical perspective.