Desarrollo de la Antártica

R. B. Thomson I TRANSPORT AND TOURISM IN ANTARCTIC DEVELOPMENT to 'bring even the interior of the continent within range of the ex· plorer and scientist. These developments in many modes of transportation have con– tinued through the years until today aircraft depart from southern hemisphere countries and reach the Antarctic Continent in the same number of hours that were weeks for the ships of fifty years ago. But Antarctica itself l'emains unchanged and it presents today the same hazards for the unwary or ill cquipped traveller. With the improvement to Antarctic transport of recent years carne the increase of interest in the commercial world in developing tours to this last frontier. Tour promotors did manage initially to arran– ge some flights províding a few hou.rs of ground time in Antarctica but the ship appealed to most organisers as being tne most reliable, safe and economic way. Many Treaty Countries, including New Zea– land, were immediately concerned wit'h the safety factors, and en· vironmental and othercon sequences that migt result from tourist visits. New Zealand drew up a policy statement on tourist visits to Antarctica (Appendix 1) and many other countries soon followed suit. The "Effects of Tourists in the Antarctic Treaty IArea" became one of the agenda items for discussion at Antarctic Treaty Consul· tative Meeting and further discussions have yet to taik.e place. Tourist visits to the Ross Sea Area during the late 1960s and early l'!}70s were not too successful. Tour flights to McMurdo were conS1- dered "unsafe" and there were numerous additional major problems to be considered such a& lack of passenger facilities and accommoda– tion on "the ice" and the unpredictable nature of the weather which meant tlhat once landed the aircraft may remain grounded for some days. Tourist expeditions 'by ship departing from Australia and New Zealand although wtll supported by tourists, but due to the distan– ces involved, were costly and monotonous voyages often culminating in bitter disappointment when ice conditions and poor weather precluded passengers being put ashore or to even view closely the scenery of Antarctica. Ships operating from South America had a mudh shorter route and a greater variety of accessible areas of inte· rest to visit, thus tour organisers stepped up theiractivities in tlhis area as they withdrew from the Ross Sea. In February 1977 a new and novel form of Antarctic tourism was initiated by Quantas and Air New Zealand with sight seeing flights over selected areas of the continent. These flights left hom New Zealand and Australia and in their duration of 11 to 13 hours flew