ABSTRACT

As previously outlined, Antarctica is a unique continent without an indigenous population, without an owner, and without an existing tourism infrastructure. Current types of tourism taking place there have been analyzed in the preceding chapters, and visitor numbers have been traced back to the mid-1950s. The primary aim of this study is not to forecast visitor numbers but to investigate what type of tourism may be most popular in the medium to long term. For the forecasting of future patterns of tourism development at most other tourist destinations, the literature describes several quantitative forecasting techniques that could be employed (see for example Archer 1987:77-85, who outlines the most popular techniques including time series models, causal approaches, and systems models). The range and type of new tourism products that may be developed at a destination can likewise be determined relatively easily by looking at cases at other, similar destinations. Were one to investigate the future directions of beach tourism at an as yet undeveloped tropical island, one could easily draw examples of development from places such as Bali, Fiji, and the Caribbean islands. By tracing the development history of other beach destinations, one would arrive at a relatively accurate picture of how tourism at the new destination was most likely going to develop.