Do you think that travel to the polar regions is sustainable? Yes, it’s my belief––and that of most of the other Antarctic operators that belong to IAATO (the International Associa - tion of Antarctic Tour Operators)––that tourism is sustain - able and will continue to have no more than a minor or tran - sitory impact on the Antarctic environment. This is baked into the IAATO mission statement (found on the IAATO website), and we as a collective group have no intention of seeing it change, in spite of the growth of Antarctic tourism post-pandemic. While the ship operators now catering to demand in the marketplace are diverse in size and in the types of passenger vessels used, we work together to de - velop and promote best practices in the field and marine environment, carbon and plastic reduction, and the educa - tion of guests, among other things. Similarly, we all cooper - ate through IAATO to develop an extensive database that accurately tracks site visits, passenger activities, scheduling and other data points. This provides a comprehensive view of tourism, past and present, and allows us to see where we are going and where adjustments may need to be made. On behalf of its members, IAATO maintains a respectful yet pragmatic relationship with the Antarctic Treaty Parties, who ultimately have responsibility for management of Ant - arctica. Antarctic tourism is our livelihood, and if we can’t meaningfully deliver on the sustainability front, there simply won’t be a future for Antarctic tourism.
... only 100 guests are allowed on shore at a landing site at one time... " "
What can we be doing now to help preserve those areas and keep them sustainable? IAATO and its members have been at work on preservation, conservation and education since the organization was founded in 1991. There’s no question that objectives were simpler back then, but as supply, demand and environmental awareness have increased, we recognize that more resources need to be devoted to these efforts. Along these same lines, safety protocols have continually been beefed up, both by the self-regulatory requirements of IAATO and the rules and guidelines imposed by the IMO (International Maritime Organization) and the Antarctic Treaty System. IAATO annually publishes and reviews site guidelines for an ever-increasing number of landing spots in the Antarctic Peninsula region; we follow careful protocols to prevent the introduction of invasive species; our vessels are regularly audited by independent observers for compliance with agreed standards; and we’ve pledged as a collective to reduce our carbon footprint in the decades ahead. And those are just a few of our efforts…
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