Tourism in Antarctica is a booming industry, with deep-pocketed adventure-seekers traveling thousands of miles to marvel at penguin colonies and take 'polar plunges' in sight of icebergs. The niche industry has grown significantly, with over 117,000 visitors in 2025, more than triple the number of visitors in 2015.
However, growing numbers of visitors bring risks including disease, invasive species and pollution to the delicate ecosystems of Antarctica and the remote sub-Antarctic islands that teem with bird life, sea lions and whales. The Antarctic Peninsula coastline is particularly vulnerable to these threats due to its high concentration of seals and seabirds.
The outbreak of a deadly strain of the hantavirus on a Dutch-flagged cruise ship that sailed from the southern tip of Argentina across the southern Atlantic and up to the Cape Verde islands comes days before 29 nations gather in Japan to discuss tighter guardrails around Antarctic tourism.
The meeting will discuss whether the Antarctic Treaty System governing the vast ice-covered continent requires a more robust framework to regulate tourism and prevent environmental damage. The system already sets out guidelines for medical protocols and insurance cover for tourism operators in the region.
Definitely, now, after what's happened, there'll be a need to update their medical guidelines,
The World Health Organization has confirmed five people have contracted the virus and three people have died in the outbreak. Another three suspected cases are being investigated.
A further suspected case was reported on Friday - a British national on the South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha, where the ship stopped in April - another vulnerable, remote territory thousands of miles north of Antarctica.
The cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions billed the 35-night cruise as an 'Atlantic odyssey' and charged passengers handsomely for a berth on the ship. The price included camping, kayaking, snowshoeing and mountaineering.
Some experts forecast that the number of visitors could quadruple over the next 10 years, highlighting the need for comprehensive and mandatory regulations to mitigate these risks.
The Antarctic Treaty System requires a more robust framework to regulate tourism and prevent environmental damage.
