The number of visitors to Antarctica is increasing rapidly. Last year (2007/08), just over 32,000 tourists set foot on the continent, while another 13,000 took part in cruise only visits or over-flights.

This compares to a decade ago when some 9, 600 visited the continent.

The UK has taken a leading role within the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting -the decision making body for all countries which are party to the Antarctic Treaty - to ensure that safety and environmental concerns relating to tourism activities continue to be addressed.

This has included:

• securing agreement on international regulations that require all tourism activities have to be self-sufficient. This includes detailed search and rescue, contingency plans, as well as insurance cover to meet costs of emergency evacuation etc.
• developing specific Site Guidelines for many of the most popular sites visited by tourists.
• securing agreement that ships carrying more than 500 passengers are not authorised to make landings in Antarctica (such vessels should operate cruise only itineraries)

Tour operators

Most companies which offer tours to Antarctica are members of the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO). IAATO sets out strict environmental standards for Antarctic tourism operators, and manages the annual tourism traffic to Antarctica.

Management  of tourism

We work with IAATO to promote safe and environmentally responsible tourism in Antarctica.

We won’t authorise any tourism activities (including any permanent land-based tourist infrastructure) that have more than a minor or transitory impact on the Antarctic environment.Nor will we authorise tour operators that use vessels carrying more than 500 passengers to make any landings in Antarctica.

We encourage tour operators to co-ordinate with each other, restrict the number of passengers on shore at any one time and maintain a minimum guide to passenger ratio while ashore.

Tour operators who are members of IAATO already implement these provisions.

In light of the organisations high standards the government  allows only IAATO operators access to UK Historic Sites and scientific bases operated by the British Antarctic Survey.

We encourage all visitors to Antarctica to travel with IAATO affiliated companies.  There is a list of these on the IAATO website.