What impact does Antarctic tourism have on scientific research at Antarctic research stations?

The tourism boom is damaging China’s scientific research at Antarctic research stations. Tourists traveling to Antarctica with Xu Chenghua were told to stay away from penguins. As a wildlife film producer, Xu has traveled to Antarctica twice. He said visitors were repeatedly reminded of the rules, including not littering and staying at least 5 meters away from the penguins. "But some Chinese tourists still behave inappropriately, (including) making all kinds of noises in front of the penguins, dancing and even 'shaking hands' with them," he said. "Antarctica is a place where only the rich can afford to travel, but I think Their behavior is inconsistent with their wealth."

As the "end of the earth" enters the travel range of more and more Chinese tourists, scientists and tourism agencies are increasingly aware of the need to effectively manage the influx of tourists. , to minimize impact on the continent’s fragile environment. Wang Pei, a member of China's 33rd Antarctic Expedition, said that while working at the Great Wall Station, China's scientific research station in Antarctica, from December last year to February last year, he and his colleagues often encountered (Chinese) tourists. When the scientific expedition team members are not immersed in on-site inspections and data processing, they always have to welcome 12 to 100 tourists, most of whom are from China, as many as four times a week.

"It took them a long time to finally reach our scientific research station," said Wang, who is studying for a doctorate at the University of Science and Technology of China. "We understand that many people want to see it, and we don't seem to welcome them. Unreasonable.” But Wang said that such frequent visits not only affect scientific research work, but also raise concerns that the influx of humans is affecting the sensitive ecosystem of the area.

Data from the International Association of Antarctic Tourism Organizations (IAATO) show that China is now the second largest source of tourists to Antarctica after the United States. Of the 44,000 tourists who visited the continent in the summer of 2016-2017, 12% were from China and 33% from the United States. Compared with a year ago, the number of Chinese tourists increased by 1/4. "This market is getting bigger and bigger," said Zhang Lei, an industry insider in China's polar tourism market.

Wang said tourists usually stay at the Great Wall Station for about an hour, but it takes a long time to arrive and leave here by boat. At least two or three expedition team members are required to greet each tour group, introduce the station and prevent tourists from entering dangerous areas. A tour group was stranded at the station for nearly 4 hours due to extreme weather. "They could only wait until the weather improved before they could leave, but there was no room for so many people here," Wang said. "Soon everyone started to get hungry. The food supply at the Antarctic research station is very tight, and we usually only unload food once a year."

Wang believes that before further opening the area to tourism, relevant departments should conduct an assessment and improve tourist organization. But industry insiders are seeing the Antarctica tourism boom continue. Limiting visitor numbers seems unlikely, at least for now. Zhang Lei expects the market to grow strongly in the coming years. In the context of China's consumption upgrade (more preference for high-quality goods, services and new experiences), exploring Antarctica has become the ultimate travel goal for many mid- to high-end consumers in China.