ABSTRACT
The context for a study of the trends, opportunities, and constraints of commercial tourism in a remote area must include not only the relevant international conventions but also investigate what can be learned from the evolution of wilderness tourism in other remote places. In particular, there is a need to explore how tourism is structured, organized, and managed in other remote regions and to see whether there are lessons to be learned that might be useful in the sustainable management of Antarctic tourism. Price (1996:33) notes that "the three most fragile environments-at least in terms of proportion of the Earth's surface-are deserts, mountains and Arctic areas." With regard to economic impacts, he adds that tourism has been the prime source of foreign exchange earnings for Nepal and Bhutan and points out that tourism is also a key element in the economies of Arctic areas such as Lapland and Alaska. Tourism in these locations is encouraged by the various governments with the potential economic gains for local populations in mind. In the absence of a local population, the economic and social impacts of tourism in Antarctica are of little consequence, leaving only potentially negative environmental impacts as an issue for concern.
