ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the management process including the reasons for its World Heritage Area status. It discusses the numbers and types of tourists and permitted activities. The chapter introduces tourist impacts and issues revolving around tourism supply and demand. It argues that the harsh environment and the physical challenge of getting to the island enhance the intensity of the experience surrounding this type of cold-water tourism. A series of New Zealand Government expeditions to the Auckland Islands, Campbell Island and Macquarie Island from 1882 to 1927 provide the earliest evidence of tourists to Macquarie Island. The tourist management guidelines on Macquarie Island include restrictions based on these principal factors of impact, with the exception of environmental conditions, such as the weather. The strict control of tourist visits to Macquarie Island and their restriction to hardened sites and beach areas suggests that tourists presently have little impact on flora and fauna.
