Seminar paper from the year 2011 in the subject Tourism - Miscellaneous, grade: 1,2, , language: English, abstract: Wild bears, double‐digit minus degrees and no comfortable luxury hotel within the range of vision‐ Polar Regions may not look like typical mass tourism destinations. But in fact – they are! For many years, people have been travelling by ship to the coldest regions at the end of the world for watching the abundance of wildlife and the great beauty of these unpopulated continents. The Polar Regions are significant in global environmental change as they both are affected by climate change and influence global climate change. Climate change is expected to be greatest in Polar Regions: more rapid warming is predicted for the Arctic than for any other destination. This increased publicity of Arctic climate change and global warming has created an unimaginable growth of natural tourism. Hundreds and thousands of people are now travelling for watching how ice is melting and animals are suffering for life. The aim of this seminar paper is to examine aspects of a cold tourist destination and to deal critically with the impacts of tourism on Polar Regions. Therefore I am going to concentrate my focus on the following questions: – What is polar tourism and how does it develop? – How do both climate change and tourism affect Polar Regions? – What are the reasons for increased polar tourism? Therefore, the polar region is described in detail and the phenomenon of polar tourism is introduced. After a short description of cruise tourism in Polar Regions, special emphasis is put on the impacts of both climate change and tourists on the Arctic and Antarctic. Besides, the motivation for travelling to Polar Regions is explained and the polar bears viewing industry is examined.

Explores the relationship between tourism and climate change in both Arctic and Antarctic polar regions by considering the associated environmental, economic, social and political factors. This book draws on both Arctic and Antarctic Polar region case studies to help illustrate these climate change issues.

Tourism throughout the world raises environmental issues that are often concerned with conflicting rights and responsibilities: the inherent right of mankind to travel, the no-less inherent right of indigenous people to guard their environmental heritage, and the responsibility of governments - local, national or (in the unique case of Antarctica) international - to protect environments over which they exercise stewardship. Additionally, the presence of international commercial enterprises, especially marine and other mass transport modes, represent unique governance challenges. This book deals mainly with environmental issues and the management implications arising from polar tourism, one of the fastest-growing sectors of world tourism. However, many of the issues discussed here arise no less urgently in temperate and tropical wilderness areas, and indeed in any region where sensitive environments are subjected to mass tourism. The principles and guidelines discussed here are of interest and practical use in tourism studies generally. "Readers of this book embark on a stimulating journey into the world of polar tourism. With a focus on management aspects and environmental implications, the intricacies of polar tourism are discussed in an educated and thoughtful manner. Further conceptual background is provided on wilderness and cultural tourism to enable an informed assessment of the framework within which polar tourism operates. A powerful concluding chapter applies the technique of Multiple Resource Management Planning to polar tourism. This book is a valuable resource for students, academics and policy-makers alike." Daniela Liggett, Gateway Antarctica, University of Canterbury, New Zealand

New Issues in Polar Tourism traces and analyzes a decade of growing interest in the polar regions, and the consequent challenges and opportunities of increasing tourist traffic in formerly remote and seldom-visited places. The book arises from the recently-formed International Polar Tourism Research Network (IPTRN), and documents the outcomes of its 2010 conference, held at Sweden’s Abisko Scientific Research Station.

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Sustainable Tourism and Natural Resource Conservation in the Polar Regions" that was published in Resources

Cruises are the primary form of tourism in the Polar Regions and cruise ship tourism in both the Arctic and Antarctic is expanding rapidly. The industry has moved beyond its infancy, and is now entering a maturing phase with increased numbers and types of vessels, more demanding routes, and more regular and predictable patterns of activity. The increase in cruise activities, and the associated risks of accidents, as well as the potential and actual impacts of the large numbers of tourists in the polar regions bring with it management challenges for sustainable use of these regions. This book discusses critically the issues around environmental and social sustainability of the cruise industry in Polar Regions. Authors from Canada, USA, Europe, Australia and New Zealand are experts in their respective fields and take an innovative, critical and at times controversial approach to the subject.