Polar Tourism and Communities

Experiences, Knowledge Building, Challenges and Opportunities

by Dimitri Ioannides, Marisol Vereda, Alix Varnajot

Description

Prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, the Arctic and Antarctic regions were experiencing significant growth in tourist arrivals. In the aftermath of this global crisis, the tourism industry has rebounded and the number of tourists visiting the polar regions is expected to keep growing significantly in the coming years. Remote regions are increasingly accessible as tourism actors develop technologies, diversify activities and itineraries, and climate change worsens. In the Arctic, tourism now takes place year-round through various modalities, ranging from exclusive icebreaker expeditions to the North Pole to mass tourism practices in several destinations such as Rovaniemi, Reykjavik, Longyearbyen or Skagway, wherein tourism not only brings opportunities, but also new challenges to local communities. Meanwhile, gateway cities to Antarctica such as Ushuaia and its inhabitants are set to recover from the severe adverse effects due to the virtual standstill of tourism in the region. This book fills the gap in literature on polar tourism and communities. Through several examples encompassing the Arctic and Antarctica, various chapters examine how both the tourism industry and various communities impact and influence each other from economic, sociocultural, political and environmental perspectives. The contents provide a general perspective regarding polar tourism and chapters focusing on challenges and/or experiences of the communities that are related to tourism in the polar regions and delivers: · Exploration of the complex interactions between polar tourism and local communities · Coverage of a broad range of topics including safety, environmental care, increase in the number of visitors, and the pursuit of new experiences at the farthest extremes of the world. Overall, this book provides a unique and timely analysis of the complex interactions between polar tourism and local communities and could be of interest to advanced-level students and researchers in tourism studies and polar geographies.

More Information

Author Biography

Dimitri Ioannides is Chaired Professor of Human Geography in the Institution of Economics, Geography, Law and Tourism and a researcher in the European Tourism Research Institute at Mid-Sweden University. Previously, he taught at Missouri State University and held a part-time position at the Centre for Regional and Tourism Research in Bornholm, Denmark. He has published extensively in various journals including Annals of Tourism Research, Tourism Management and the Journal of Sustainable Tourism on issues such as the economic geography of tourism and sustainable development. He is especially interested in matters relating to the social-equity dimension of sustainability, including the geographies of tourism workers and work. He has co-authored books relating to tourism issues, including the Economic Geography of the Tourist Industry (Routledge). Currently, he is an editor of Tourism Geographies (in charge of special projects) and serves on the editorial board of several other journals.

Trusted Partner
CABI (CAB International)

CABI (CAB International)

CABI (CAB International) is an international, non-profit body improving lives by providing information & scientific expertise to solve problems in agriculture & the environment.

View all titles

Bibliographic Information

  • Publisher/Imprint CABI / CAB International
  • Publication Date April 2025
  • Orginal LanguageEnglish
  • ISBN/Identifier 9781800624429 / 1800624425
  • Publication Country or regionUnited Kingdom
  • FormatHardback
  • Primary Price 105 GBP
  • Pages232
  • ReadershipGeneral/trade; College/higher education; Professional and scholarly
  • Publish StatusPublished
  • Dimensions244 X 172 mm
  • Reference Code6025

Subscribe to our

newsletter