MANAGING ANTARCTIC TOURISM - A FRONT-BURNER ISSUE

The growing number of tourists, in association with conservationist pr iorities, explain why managing Antarctic tourism proves a prime contem porary concern of the Antarctic Treaty Parties (ATPs). Although a regu latory framework already exists, ATPs, guided by a range of interested nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and tour operators, are examinin g existing weaknesses, alongside future needs. At the close of 1992, a n informal meeting of ATPs and NGOs, though identifying possible ways forward, merely highlighted existing points of difference, even if the history of the Antarctic Treaty regime suggests that a consensus view should emerge in time.