Tourism and Non-Governmental Activities

Commercial tourism using both ships and aircraft has increased steadily since the first commercial expeditions in the late 1950s. Before the 1980s, only a few hundred tourists visited Antarctica every summer. The total number of tourists visiting Antarctica in the 2019/20 season was around 74 000. The vast majority of these visitors travel on passenger vessels to the Antarctic Peninsula region, which can be reached from South American ports in a few days. Regular sightseeing passenger flights began in 1977 using passenger aircraft flying from Australia and developed over time. 

The main ATCM regulations and guidelines for tourists and expedition organizers are compiled in the Manual of Regulations and Guidelines Relevant to Tourism and Non-Governmental Activities in the Antarctic Treaty area, adopted by ATCM XLIII through Decision 6 (2021). 

This compilation also includes the provisions applicable to tourism arising from the Antarctic Treaty and the Protocol on Environmental Protection. Aside from establishing guidelines for tourist expeditions, the ATCM also provides for tourist expeditions to submit reports on their visits. Measure 4 (2004), which sets out requirements on contingency planning, insurance and other matters, is currently being approved by the Consultative Parties. 

The ATCM also issues specific guidelines for the sites most visited by tourists. They include practical guidance for tour operators and guides on how they should conduct visits in those sites, considering their environmental values. 

Most tourist operators active in the Antarctic belong to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO), which also participates in the ATCM as an invited expert organisation. 

In 2021, through Resolution 3 (2011), the ATCM updated the General Guidelines for Visitors to the Antarctic, which provide general advice for visiting any location, with the objective of ensuring visits do not have adverse impacts on the Antarctic environment, or on its scientific and aesthetic values. 

Parties implement the Antarctic Treaty and its Environment Protocol into domestic law. National legislations establish a permitting regime for activities in Antarctica, and eligible visitors are required to obtain the necessary permits in advance from the relevant Competent Authority of each Antarctic Treaty Party.