Regulating Antarctic Tourism and the Precautionary Principle

On the basis of an overview of the developments in Antarctic tourism since 1956, this current development note examines the issue of international regulation of Antarctic tourism. After discussing one of the main management issues in respect of Antarctic tourism ¿ the assessment and prevention of cumulative impacts ¿ the authors introduce the Antarctic Treaty System and discuss the existing instruments to address cumulative impacts. Next, the question of the status and possible practical relevance of the precautionary principle in the management of Antarctic tourism receives attention. Finally, the international debate on Antarctic tourism since 1991 and the measures that have been adopted by governments and industry to prevent adverse impacts by tourist activities in the Antarctic are discussed, particularly to evaluate the extent to which the precautionary principle is applied.