Visiting Antarctica needs to again bring a sense of adventure, says Gillian Wratt, the retiring head of Antarctica New Zealand.
Since the days of Sir Edmund Hillary's expeditions "we have become quite bureaucratic about our approach to administration in Antarctica", she told the New Zealand Antarctic Conference in Auckland
yesterday.
"So I think that is a challenge to Antarctica New Zealand: How does that 'adventure value' fit into New Zealand's Government activities in Antarctica?"
She did not believe in "closing Antarctica and saying you should only go to Antarctica if you need to".
"I think the opportunity to go to Antarctica is a wonderful experience that shows people a lot of good things about how we operate in the world," she said.
"I believe we should be encouraging tourism in a way that is environmentally sustainable and doesn't impinge on Antarctica's wilderness and intrinsic values."
Rick Christie, who chairs the Science and Innovation Advisory Council, said South America was well ahead of New Zealand in promoting tourism on the ice.
"In 10 years' time, tourism in Antarctica will be commonplace," he said.
"It will be up to us to manage it in such a way that it makes minimal impact on the Antarctica we know today.
"New Zealand can and should have a huge role."
Antarctica New Zealand environmental manager Emma Waterhouse said that, of the 12,248 tourists who visited Antarctica in the 2000-01 season, only 353 landed in the largely New Zealand-controlled Ross Sea region.
Antarctica New Zealand
nzherald.co.nz/environment
