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Environmental Impacts of TourismTOMG200 Tourism Management & the EnvironmentGlobal Environmental Issues & TourismClimate change is restructuring the tourism industry (see Eijgelaar, Thaper and Peeters, 2010)Tourism accounts for 5% of annual human-caused emissions of CO2 (see chapters 5 & 6 in Garrod and Fyall, 2011)Habitat change and loss; impacts on wildlifePollution (water quality, oil, waste)Biosecurity threats Environmental interest and consciousness drives conservation (Hall and Lew, 2009)

If the global tourism industry were represented as a country, it would consumer resources at the scale of a northern developed country. International and national tourists use 80% of Japans yearly primary energy supply (5,000 million kWh/year), produce the same amount of solid waste as France (35 million tons per year), and consume 3 times the amount of fresh water contained in Lake Superior, between Canada and the United States, in a year (10 million cubic meters)(Christ et al. 2003: cited in Hall and Lew, 2009, pp 215)Case Study: AntarcticaExample of a new frontier destination Human impact is considerableImportant issues for tourism managementUnique tourism managementAntarctica - CharacteristicsCovers 10% of the worlds surface areaEntry is seasonalGoverned by Antarctic Treaty SystemNZ is custodian of the Ross Sea RegionChristchurch is the NZ strategic gateway to Antarctica

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Human Impacts Changing land useHuman impact is considerable:Effect of noise on nesting birdsDisturbance of soils by vehicle trafficPermanent alterations / buildingAir quality changeWasteDeterioration to historic hutsImpacts depend on nature, intensity, spread, duration, degree of reversibilityThe Tourism IndustryAntarctic Treaty Consultative PartiesSelf-regulating by IAATOAll tour operators have written EIAsExpedition leader handbooks & resource notebooksAll hut visits are supervisedEach hut has a management planExperts provide briefings on board shipShore parties are smallReinforce environmental objectivesLinblad pattern of managing Antarctic cruisesTourism in AntarcticaTourists on ships, flyovers, science & base personnel, students, artist programmes, VIPsMajor tourist interest began in 1950s1992-2000:14,750 tourists carried by 14 IAATO members operating 16 ships & 1 yacht, & 3 non-members operating 4 shipsRSR receives 10% of tourists (approx 1000pa) & 2000 scientists139 tourists on land-based programmes organised by ANILast chance tourism? (Eijgelaar, Thaper and Peeters, 2010)Youtube (Antarctica tour operator interview) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NU1k3ZWrVqE

Tourism in the Ross Sea Region

Scott Base, RSRhttp://www.antarcticanz.govt.nz/scott-base/webcamsScott Base Web Cam today:

Management of Impacts in Antarctica:Attitudes as well as activities cause impactShould Antarctica be treated the same as the rest of the world? (ambassadorship - Maher, Steel & McIntosh, 2003)Should philosophical & ethical restraints apply?Is global disneyfication reaching Antarctica?There is no long term strategic planning to state which activities are acceptableTourism numbers (concentrated) continue to grow at a rapid rate raises issues for sustainabilityMain Issues for SustainabilityShould Antarctic tourism be left to market forces?Is self-regulation sufficient in mitigating impacts?How to manage the tourist experience?How to manage the risks for tourists?What does the future hold for Antarctic tourism management? (see Liggett, McIntosh, Thompson, Gilbert and Storey, 2011)What does the future hold for more global issues? (polar cruises = high per capita CO2 emissions in tourism - Eijgelaar et al., 2010)ConclusionThe paradoxical roles of tourism in both resource exploitation and environmental management and conservation, as well as the interrelatedness of environmental change factors, clearly point to the need for an integrated approach to planning tourism(Hall and Lew, 2009: 226)ReadingsRead chapter 5 of required textRead chapters: S. Gossling & B. Garrod (Chapter 5) and J. Dickinson & L. Lumsden (Chapter 6). In: Garrod, B. & Fyall, A. (2011). Contemporary Cases in TourismSelected readings on Antarctic tourism, climate change, CO2 emissions, water, oil, impacts on wildlife