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The Compass: The New Arctic: The New Arctic: Tourism

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Svalbard

17/02/2021 GMT

The New Arctic: Tourism

The New Arctic

BBC World Service - The Compass, The New Arctic, The New Arctic: Tourism

Tourism in the Arctic is growing but is it a sustainable industry?

Tourism in the Arctic is growing but is it a sustainable industry? How has Covid-19 impacted the seasonal tourism based economy?

Allan Little looks at the growing tourism industry above the Arctic circle which is raising complex social, economic and environmental consequences for remote communities.

On the one hand, there are sustainable, indigenous-operated businesses that benefit from increasing numbers of visitors in search of authentic reindeer experiences and the Northern Lights, but other regions are experiencing the problem of mass tourism. On the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, we see how the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the fragility of a seasonal tourism-based economy, as operators now fight for survival.

Paradoxically, tourists are often drawn north to witness the Arctic before it melts, while their carbon footprint is only adding to the problem. We meet several tourism businesses providing greener, more sustainable alternatives, including the world’s first hybrid-electric whale watching vessel.

Producer: Victoria Ferran

(Photo credit:: Victoria Ferran)

The Compass: The New Arctic

Allan Little investigates how the climate crisis is impacting Arctic communities.

Global warming is happening twice as fast in the Arctic than in any other place on earth. As the ice melts, economic opportunities are increasing - from shipping lanes, to resource extraction and tourism - prompting security risks and geopolitical tensions. Allan Little investigates how the climate crisis and increased economic activity is impacting the communities who call this extreme environment their home  - which,  contrary to popular belief, is far from a pristine, empty white desert.

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