Pergamon

l'ourtsm Management, Vol. 17, No. 3, pp. 233-235, 19t)l~

Publishcd by Elsevier Scicncc Ltd. Printed m Grea t Britain 02hi 5177/91~ $15.1)t) 4 [I.0l)

Book reviews

Polar Tourism: Tourism in the Arctic and Antarctic Regions C M Hall and M E Johnston Wih'y, Chichester (1995) SVI + 329pp t~7.50

Fhe purpose of this book is revealed by the Editors in the Preface. They have identified a substantial gap in the awfilable literature and knowledge on tourist activities in the northern and southern polar regions and it is their intention to fill some of this gap.

After a general introductory chap- ter written by the Editors, the book is organized ahmg geographic lines. Each polar region is discussed in a series of chapters, the first of which introduces key issues and patterns of tourism which the ensuing chapters discuss in detail. The Editors provide an overall summary in a concluding chapter.

In their general introduction, Hall and .lohnston provide a useful defini- tion of polar tourism: all travel for pleasure or adventure within polar regions, exclusive of travel for primary governmental, commercial, subsist- ence, military or scientific purposes. They give summaries of the attraction that the polar regions hold for tourists and patterns of growth in polar tour- ism. The problems that tourist activi- ties bring to the regions are also out- lined: environmental impacts; econo- mic effects not beneficial to indige- nous peoples; disruption of scientific research; sovereignty issues. They identify the lack of recognized sovereignty in the Antarctic as the main problem for environmental and tourism management but point out that the sheer size of both polar re- gions makes the application of regula- tions by an enforcement agency prob- lematic, and therefore codes of prac- tice and international agreements will bc significant in both the Arctic and Antarctic. The reader is left looking

forward to the following chapters pro- viding insight into how these problems may be overcome, or at least made less significant. Unfortunately this is not done. Throughout the rest of the book there is much redundancy or trivia. There is much reference to data and papers already published but no new ideas. The Arctic section does provide an access to Russian and Scandinavian literature which will not be known to the English-speaking world. The gap that the book is pur- ported to fill cannot be identified by this reader; polar environmental and sovereignty issues get frequent cover- age in even the popular media.

However, the main disappointment of this book stems from a significant omission. The major issue of current deep concern to Arctic Rim govern- merits, the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programmes, and the International Association ol Antarctic Tour Operators (1AATO) - health and safety standards - is given only passing reference, and not the in-depth treatment that would have made a valuable contribution to the tourism issue debate. There is growing evidence that some tourist operators are ignoring their responsibilities and duties regarding the health and safet}, of clients. Ships have inadequate medical facilities, and insufficient or no attention is paid to ensuring that individuals meet a minimum standard of health and fitness necessary to with- stand the potential rigours of the polar environments. There are examples of responsibility for injured and sick tourists being transferred to local authorities/research station comman- ders, and attempts made to justify the action by reference to the financial implications of abandoning the tourisl activity being undertaken.

Medical facilities and supplies in Antarctica arc designed to meet the needs of National Research Station

personnel, mainly young, extremely fit people who have been subjected to rigorous medical examination. Elderly people (who form the majority of po- lar tourists), and chronic diseases and conditions are not catered for m the medical supplies or enhanced training courses given to the professional medical staff. Medical facilities over vast tracts of Arctic countries are of similar small scale, although they arc designed for a wider range of medical conditions, including those age- related.

The risk of an accident of catas- trophic proportions is increasing with the rapid growth in polar tourism. Tourist ships arc already carrying 200+ passengers, and the economics of the industry will demand that these numbers increase. If an accident occurred which would cause such a ship to sink, National Research Stations/local communities, indi- vidually and even collectively, would not be able to prcvcnt a major toss of life even if the event occurred close offshore. No National Research Sta- tion, and few local communities, have the boating facilities to mount or assist with an effective rescue operation. Indeed most Antarctic Research Sta- tions have in force boating regulations severely restricting the approved area for boating activities, and a stoking incident only a few miles offshore would place station personnel in a very difficult and unfair moral dilem- ma. If surviw~rs came ashore in large numbers, most National Research Stations/local communities could not offer the adequate shelter or medical support that would be crucial for thc continuing survival of those rescued. Bodies drifting ashore would pose a very serious health hazard; there are unlikely to be adequate morgue facili- ties. The time factor would be crucial in such an event and the water/air temperatures experienced and the

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Book reviews

considerable distances between settle- ments in both polar regions preclude an effective regionally organized search and rescue service.

Increase in polar tourism appears inevitable and some means must be found of establishing adequate facili- ties for search and rescue and medical emergencies, and minimum standards for health and fitness of individual tourists, ship build and condition, quality and experience of officers and crew. As Hall and Johnston point out, the sheer size of both polar regions makes the application of regulations by an enforcement agency problema- tic, and therefore codes of practice and international agreements will be significant in both the Arctic and Antarctic. It follows that the tourist industry itself must lead on this issue. The recent moves by IAATO are to be welcomed, but as to the hope of the Editors and individual authors that this volume will make its own contribution to the management and conservation of the polar regions . . . it is my view that, by not dealing with these serious issues, the hope has not been realized.

R B Heywood Director

British Antarctic Society Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK

Principles of Tourism C N French, S J Craig-Smith and A Collier Longman Australia (1995) 375 pp A U$34.95

Principles of Tourism is an adaptation of Principles of Tourism: a New Zea- land Perspective by Alan Collier, which appeared in its second edition in 1991. According to the Foreword, the book has been 'extensively rewritten by Australian authors for a wider mar- ket'. Generally speaking, the authors have produced an effective adaptation and a work which will justifiably attract prescription status in a number of undergraduate and diploma-level tourism courses in Australia. It will also be a useful read for those students and academics in other countries who have an interest in Australia's experi- ence of tourism.

The book consists of four parts, namely the Context of Tourism, the Structure of the Australian Tourism Industry, the Economic Operation of Tourism and the Impact and Regula- tion of Tourism. Each part is sub- divided into a number of chapters. The structure is fairly traditional and straightforward. For example, Part Two is divided into three chapters: 'The travel sector', 'The hospitality sector' and 'The visitor services sec- tor'. These labels conform to the way the tourism 'industry' is conceptual- ized by the National Tourism Industry Training Board (better known as Tourism Training Australia). They were formulated primarily as an ex- planation of career structures. Whether this is appropriate as a way of understanding tourism as a whole is questionable - government tourist bureaux, for example, fit uncomfort- ably under the heading of Visitor Ser- vices. Nevertheless the simplicity of the approach will appeal to many readers and especially to students con- cerned about the relationship between study and career outcomes.

Appendix 1 contains a listing of the Australian Standards Framework Descriptors and Appendix 2 details the Australian National Competency Standards. The framework and stan- dards have been applied by the Au- stralian Government to courses offered by the Technical and Further Education (TAFE) sector. To date, the Australian universities have re- jected the application of competences to degree-level studies, where the approach is seen as overemphasizing functional characteristics at the ex- pense of general educational aims. Irrespective of one's view on this issue, the inclusion of these two appendices is a shrewd move by the authors. The explanation of which chapters and sections in the book accord with particular competences will undoubtedly appeal to potential purchasers studying or teaching in the TAFE sector. For university students, increasingly concerned about an over- supply of tourism graduates and wishing for stronger guidance on em- ployment outcomes, an explanation of the links between the content of their textbooks and acknowledged compe-

tences will be a reassurance. The au- thorship is an interesting collaboration between a TAFE perspective (Christ- ine French is Director of a major TAFE institute) and a university pers- pective (Stephen Craig-Smith is Head of School at the University of Queens- land).

Each chapter begins with an over- view of the topics to be covered and concludes with a number of questions. This approach will appeal to students. The presentation is also sound with an appropriate number of models and statistics interspersed throughout the text. The overview of industry is com- prehensive - the only gap here is that the text might have been given a stron- ger Australian flavour by reference to particular tour operators and travel agents. There is an overemphasis on theoretical industry structure given that the text has a fairly specific focus on Australia.

A number of aspects of tourism are given some novel coverage. I enjoyed the so-called 'tourism research wheel', which seemed a straightforward dia- grammatic depiction of the research process. The explanation of market segmentation techniques and particu- larly the VALS approach were com- prehensive and welcome. The over- view of tourism economics is also sound. The technical aspects are co- vered less comprehensively than in, say, Tourism principles and Practice (Cooper et al, Pitman, 1993), pub- lished in the UK, but the less technical approach is probably appropriate for any Australian text since it will need to attract readers from the technical and further education sector if it is to generate sufficient sales in the small Australian market. The technical aspects which have been included should pose few problems, even for students who have not studied econo- mics at tertiary level.

The section on Aboriginal tourism is well balanced and acknowledges the interrelationship between tourism, indigenous people and the natural environment. It is notable that the authors have taken a broader approach to tourism and the environment, using the term sustainable tourism in prefer- ence to ecotourism which currently enjoys great favour with Australia's

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