Sixth International Conference on Tourism & Leisure Studies

Abstract

Penguins, while they adorn the covers of travel catalogues as iconic images of Antarctica and are symbolic markers of tourist’s conquests on expedition websites, today these charismatic creatures are disappearing from the White Continent. This paper investigates the intersection of anthropogenic-driven climate change and accelerating tourism on penguin colony collapse in Antarctica. I argue that the “plight of the penguin” is a consequence of the vast impact of the “Anthropos”, where penguin colonies collapse – from lack of ice – without ever confronting the human, as well as the direct encounter with the dramatic growth in land-based tourism. As Antarctic ice extent decreases penguin colonies either collapse or are forced into arduous migrations, with shrinking ice there has been a marked increase in tourist arrivals with penguins as the main attraction (IAATO). Despite the global cruise industry experiencing a 70% drop in passengers due to COVID-19, and international tourist arrivals plummeted as much as 97%; once the industry tried to return to normal, some the quickest global travel circuits to advertise that they were “open for business” where in the Arctic and Antarctic regions (Cruise Watch; UNWTO). Meanwhile, Chinstrap penguin colonies have decline by 77% (Greenpeace 2020), with 90% of the Emperor penguin colonies projected to disappear by 2100 if climate change goes unabated (British Antarctic Society). The concentration of colony losses is occurring on the Antarctic Peninsula and in Western Antarctica, regions which are most directly impacted by tourism (Mahoney 2020). This relationship is anything but a coincidence.