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Repository of Antarctic Tourism Research
Antarctica is experiencing increasing interest from tourists and other non-government visitors. To support safe and responsible activity on the continent, researchers have compiled a large body of scientific work that explores the impacts and management of tourism in this unique environment.
This resource presents an updated bibliography of peer-reviewed studies. The publications were selected by members of the SCAR Tourism Action Group. Please note that the views and findings of the individual publications are not officially endorsed by SCAR. Rather, this collection is shared to highlight the depth of existing scientific knowledge that may help inform ongoing discussions and decisions around Antarctic tourism.
Managing Growth
Bender, N. A., Crosbie, K., & Lynch, H. J. (2016). Patterns of tourism in the Antarctic Peninsula region: A 20-year analysis. Antarctic Science, 28 (3), 194-203. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102016000031
Haase, D., Lamers, M., & Amelung, B. (2009). Heading into uncharted territory? Exploring the institutional robustness of self-regulation in the Antarctic tourism sector. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 17(4), 411-430. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669580802495717
Hardy, A., Leane, E., Marx, K., Ooi, C. S., Philpott, C., & Nielsen, H. (2025). Is Antarctica subject to overtourism? Views from expedition ship passengers and workers. Tourism Geographies, 27(5), 1039–1056. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2025.2504028
Headland, R. K. (1994). Historical development of Antarctic tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 21 (2), 269–280. https://doi.org/10.1016/0160-7383(94)90044-2
Hingley, R. (2023). Diverging Antarctic Heritage Discourses: The geopolitical ramifications of non‐state actor engagement with the ‘state‐sanctioned’ version of Antarctic heritage. The Geographical Journal, 189 (1), 40-48. https://doi.org/10.1111/geoj.12383
Lamers, M. Haase, D., & Amelung, B. (2008). Facing the elements: Analysing trends in Antarctic tourism. Tourism Review, 63 (1), 15-27. https://doi.org/10.1108/16605370810861017
Lee, J. R., Shaw, J. D., Ropert-Coudert, Y., Terauds, A., & Chown, S. L. (2024). Conservation features of the terrestrial Antarctic Peninsula. Ambio , 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-024-02009-4
Liggett, D., McIntosh, A., Thompson, A., Gilbert, N., & Storey, B. (2011). From frozen continent to tourism hotspot? Five decades of Antarctic tourism development and management, and a glimpse into the future. Tourism Management, 32 (2), 357-366. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2010.03.005
Senigaglia, V., Hatton MacDonald, D., Stoeckl, N., Tian, J., Leane, E., Adams, V., Baird, R., Boothroyd, A., Costanza, R., Fulton, E.A. and Hartman, S. (2025). Managing tourism in Antarctica: impacts, forecasts, and suitable economic instruments. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2025.2488958
Managing Diversification
Cajiao, D., Larson, L., Leung, Y.-F., & Reas, J. (2023). Making memories that matter: How do different recollections of an Antarctic tourism experience impact future conservation behavior? Journal of Sustainable Tourism . Published online 30 Oct. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2023.2272224
Cajiao, D., Leung, Y.-F., Larson, L. R., Tejedo, P., & Benayas, J. (2022). Tourists’ motivations, learning, and trip satisfaction facilitate pro-environmental outcomes of the Antarctic tourist experience. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, 37, 100454. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2021.100454
Cajiao, D., Philips, R., Lee, J., Hughes, K. (2025). Breeding bird diversity and sensitivity to disturbance at Antarctic visitor sites. Journal of Environmental Management. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127971
Cheung W, Bauer T, Deng J. (2019). The growth of Chinese tourism to Antarctica: a profile of their connectedness to nature, motivations, and perceptions. The Polar Journal 9:197-213 https://doi.org/10.1080/2154896X.2019.1618552
Lamphere, J.A., Nyman, E. and Palmer, M. (2024). Antarctic tourism: regional ambassadors or last-chance tourists?. Polar Geography , pp.1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/1088937X.2024.2428462
Liggett, D., Cajiao, D., Lamers, M., Leung, Y.-F., & Stewart, E. J. (2023). The future of sustainable polar ship-based tourism. Cambridge Prisms: Coastal Futures, 1 , e21. https://doi.org/10.1017/cft.2023.10
Makanse, Y. (2024). Contextualising Antarctic tourism diversification: Tourism management implications from multinational policy debates. The Polar Journal . https://doi.org/10.1080/2154896X.2024.2342113
Makanse, Y. (2024). Tourism Diversification in Antarctica and New Zealand/Aotearoa’s Sub-Antarctic Islands: Practices as Expressions of Values. In Polar Tourism and Communities: Experiences, Knowledge Building, Challenges and Opportunities (pp. 71-87). GB: CABI. https://doi.org/10.1079/9781800624443.0005
Makanse, Y., & Huijbens, E. H. (2024). Consuming placelessness: A geographic critique of current Antarctic tourism development. Tourism Geographies , 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2024.2412554
Müller, D.K., 2025. Polar tourism and the changing geographies of the Arctic and the Antarctic regions. Tourism Geographies, pp.1-9.https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2025.2462777
Nielsen, H., & Roldan, G. (2023). Polar policy in practice: Tour guiding in Antarctica. The Yearbook of Polar Law Online, 14(1), 145-166. https://doi.org/10.1163/22116427_014010008
Ooi, C. S., Philpott, C., Hardy, A., Leane, E., Marx, K., & Nielsen, H. (2025). How accessible is Antarctic expedition cruise tourism to visitors with specific needs?. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism , 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/15022250.2025.2464630
Monitoring
Cusick, A., Dixon, B., Cajiao, D., Gilmore, R., Cheeseman, T., & Mascioni, M. (2025). Can a citizen science project enrich travellers’ experience in Antarctica? Case study of a preliminary evaluation of the FjordPhyto project. The Polar Journal , 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/2154896X.2025.2492488
Cusick, A.M., Gilmore, R., Bombosch, A., Mascioni, M., Almandoz, G.O., Vernet, M. (2020). Polar tourism as an effective research tool: citizen science in the Western Antarctic Peninsula. Oceanography, 33, 50-61. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2020.101
Youngflesh, C., Jones, F.M., Lynhc, H.J., Arthur, J., Rockaiova, Z., Torsey, H.R., Hart, T. (2020). Large-scale assessment of intra- and inter-annual breeding success using a remote camera network. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, 7, 97-108. https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.171
Compliance and Enforcement
Read, J. B., Slocum, S. L., Daniels, M. J., & Wiggins, B. P. (2021). Tourists’ noncompliant behaviors in Antarctica: an assessment of adherence to proenvironmental guidelines. Tourism in Marine Environments , 16 (1), 21-29. https://doi.org/10.3727/154427320X15988667654368
Roura, R. M., & Guggisberg, S. (2025). Non-use Measures in Antarctic Tourism Regulation. In Non-use Measures for Global Goods and Commons in International Law (pp. 341-372). Brill Nijhoff. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004730571_016
Overall Governance
Alvarez-Ortega, E.-L. & Guggisberg, S. (2025). “Governance of Antarctic Tourism: From Private Actors to the Antarctic Treaty System, and Back”, in A.