Falkland Islands cruise ship tourism: an overview of the 1999–2000 season and the way forward

Abstract

ABSTRACT1. Falkland Islands' tourism is evolving at an increasing pace. A record number of passengers, 23 497, visited the Islands during the 1999-2000 season. This rise was due to an increase in both the frequency of vessel visits and the average passenger capacity of vessels, with the number of luxury cruise ships of >1000 passengers steadily increasing. The Falklands' industry is made up of three types of vessel: the expedition cruise vessels (ca. 100-200 passengers); larger cruise vessels (ca. 400 passengers), and the luxury cruise vessels (ca. 1000 passengers).2. The cruise ship industry has seen a diversification within the market, with cruises now available to a wider audience thus increasing the need for new experiences and landing sites. A similar diversification is being seen within the Islands themselves as the capacity to take larger vessels at remote sites is being developed. Whilst the expedition cruise vessels visiting the Islands are operating to high environmental standards as members of the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO), vessels with 400+ passengers may not become members of IAATO, due to Article III of the organization's Bylaws which limits the number of passengers. These larger capacity vessels are therefore not subject to the same self-regulating guidelines. The implications of increasing passenger numbers in the islands are discussed with regard to pressures on both the wildlife and vegetation.3. This study outlines the need for an island-wide approach and a legislative framework to ensure high standards of operation are adhered to within the Islands from all visiting vessels and that accurate information is provided to all visitors along with a suitable code of conduct. The collection, collation and analysis of visitor data to identify trends and implement appropriate management strategies, and further research into the potential impacts of tourism on wildlife in the Falklands are also recommended.

Working Towards Policy Creation for Cruise Ship Tourism in Parks and Protected Areas of Nunavut

“…It was iterative in nature as the first step, the literature review, led to the second step, the personal interviews. In the first step, content analysis investigated principles and issues found in policy documents and regulations on cruise ship tourism, including: 1) Glacier Bay National Park (2003) in Alaska; 2) International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) cruise ship tourism guidelines (IAATO, 2004); 3) World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) Arctic program guidelines (WWF, 2004a(WWF, , 2004b; 4) Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO) guidelines (Prytz, 2005); 5) Transport ; 6) The Canadian Wildlife Service (Environment ; and 7) sustainable tourism literature dealing with cruise ship tourism management (Destinations Belize, 1997;Ingham & Summers, 2002;Johnson, 2002;Marsh & Staple, 1995;Thomson & Sproull Thomson, 2004;WWF, 2004b). The findings from the content analysis informed the second step of interviews with the key stakeholders involved in the Arctic cruise ship industry in Canada.…”

Winter dispersal of rockhopper penguins Eudyptes chrysocome from the Falkland Islands and its implications for conservation

“…Exploration for hydrocarbon deposits began north of the Falkland Islands in 1998, and the results of this drilling are fuelling growing interest in further oil exploration and production in Falkland Islands waters (Richards 2002). Ship-based tourism has also grown and more than 30 000 tourists now visit the islands each season (Ingham & Summers 2002). All these activities have the potential to threaten penguin populations breeding in the Falkland Islands, adding to the existing threats.…”

Government perspective, statutory protection and the direction of future research and co‐operation in the context of the marine environment

“…Over the last four seasons, there has been a substantial growth in the number of cruise ship passengers visiting the Islands and research indicates that numbers are likely to increase further. Eco-tourism could continue to provide the Falkland Islands with an industry capable of producing an economic yield in perpetuity, provided that it is carefully developed and managed wisely (Ingham and Summers, 2002).…”