ABSTRACT
Traveling and vacationing onboard a cruise ship has become one of the most popular forms of tourism. Melting of sea ice in the Arctic region has played an important role in the emergence of a cruise tourism industry in that region. Passenger number data is more challenging to obtain compared to voyage data but some information is available from a few of the major Artic cruise destinations that can be examined. The cruise tourism industry can bring both risks and opportunities to regional Arctic communities. For example, the industry can be an important source of primary or supplementary income for local settlements and towns, but it can also be a disruptive element of environmental degradation, and can have negative impacts on culture and society. The growth in polar travel has also been matched by an intensification of scholarly activity related to many aspects of polar tourism.
