An ethical guide to “last chance” tourism

As more and more people travel to destinations that could soon disappear due to climate change, experts and guides discuss how this practice can help preserve these places - if done the right way.

When French writer Cedric Duroux reached the top of a remote mountain in Iceland, where only a few glimmers of ice remained, his first thought was that the view was stunning, until one of the guides gently told him that everything around had once been glaciers.

"And, there at the top of the mountain, I shivered," Duroux said. "That's when I realized how serious the situation was."
It happened in 2018, during one of several trips to Ok — formerly the Okjokull glacier — organized by anthropologists from Rice University. The professors were searching for the site of the famous Okjokull glacier “burial” ceremony, and Duroux was part of the group. The moment he first encountered climate change has haunted him ever since.

In recent years, an increasing number of tourists have begun to seek similar experiences, traveling to see monuments, landscapes or even entire places that may soon disappear due to climate change. 

This practice, known as “last-chance tourism,” is highly controversial. Studies show that the amount of fuel needed to travel to these remote destinations could accelerate their extinction. But supporters of the idea say that, if done responsibly, it could inspire travelers to protect the very places they came to see.

The growing demand to visit places that are disappearing, sinking or rapidly melting often outstrips their capacity to accommodate tourists – and Iceland is a prime example. Since Duroux’s first visit, half a million tourists have visited this country of just 400.000 people each year to see the glaciers. A study of six glaciers in Europe found that about half of the visitors were driven by the desire to see them before they melted. While tourism to these places does not necessarily lead to conservation, a tourist’s emotional connection to a particular place can help drive meaningful change.

Robin Kundis Craig, a professor at the University of Kansas School of Law, studies the legal challenges of ecological conservation. As more and more people travel to see disappearing coral reefs, glaciers and archipelagos, she warns that without education and careful restrictions, “millions of people are stepping on an already fragile landscape that is struggling to cope with climate change,” as has happened in parts of Yosemite National Park.

The effects of mass tourism

The negative effects of mass tourism on fragile ecosystems are well documented. As seas warm and motorboats bring more and more people to the Great Barrier Reef, this massive ecosystem has recently experienced its worst coral bleaching in history. Coral reefs in Indonesia and Hawaii have also been damaged by tourists, and the sea floor can take years to recover from the damage caused by the anchors of expedition ships. Venice has been sinking under the weight of tourism for years. And now that more and more tourists are heading to Antarctica each year, they have brought invasive species and bird flu, which has wreaked havoc on local seal populations.

Craig believes that those visiting these destinations have an obligation to travel in the most responsible and ethical way possible. To do this, she suggests that travelers think carefully about how they travel to their destination—whether the form of travel is environmentally friendly or not. Then, consider whether the activities they plan to do in their destination are sustainable and do not harm the surrounding landscape or ecosystem. Finally, Craig emphasizes the importance of actions that can be taken after returning home—what an individual can do to help preserve the places they have visited or to positively impact environmental issues in their own country.

These questions and their answers can vary by location and tour operator. A clear example is Antarctica, often called “the last frontier of the world.” Today, the continent attracts more than twice as many visitors as in the 2018–2019 season. This growth comes at a high cost, both financially and environmentally: cruises to Antarctica typically start at £7.500 ($10,000), and each passenger emits as much carbon as the average person in the United Kingdom does in an entire year.

Ashley Perrin, a tour guide at Aurora Expeditions, recommends that travelers who want to visit Antarctica choose operators that limit landings based on wildlife activities; that are members of the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO), an organization that supports environmentally conscious travel; and that incorporate educational and scientific components into the travel experience.

Perrin says that communicating clearly with travelers during the trip helps him build realistic expectations for what they’ll experience in Antarctica. Aurora, which runs small-group trips, doesn’t publicize landing sites on the continent in advance, giving guides like Perrin more flexibility to avoid areas that are under pressure or where wildlife is at a sensitive stage, such as when birds are hatching. In addition, travelers can participate in citizen science projects—like tracking clouds and weather, collecting data on bird migrations, or mapping litter in the field.

Emotional connection

For Perrin, every trip is an opportunity to protect some of the places she loves most. “I think there’s a saying that David Attenborough often uses: people won’t protect what they don’t know,” she says. “We need people to go and see these places, to fall in love with them – and so, to protect them.”

The same story is repeated on the Great Barrier Reef. Andy Ratter, a qualified guide with Frankland Islands Reef Cruises, has been diving and snorkeling in the ecosystem for decades. For him, tourism in the area is likely to have a positive impact, as it is an opportunity to get people to care for the ecosystem as a whole.

Ratter suggests that tourists not only make a day trip to see the coral, but stay longer and, if possible, learn skills like scuba diving or snorkeling beforehand. This helps them experience the magnificence of the ecosystem more fully and often leads to the discovery of similar ecosystems closer to home. He also advises that visitors choose tour operators that have a marine biologist or Master Reef Guide on board, and to make sure the company follows a weekly reef monitoring program. Barriers are so large that only through regular monitoring by tour operators can consistent and valuable data be collected. Some companies, including Ratter’s, offer tourists the opportunity to participate in citizen science projects.

Retired scientist Nadine Marshall has studied how tourists’ connection to the Great Barrier Reef translates into deep feelings, known as “reef grief.” She found that people showed particularly high levels of grief after episodes of coral bleaching. Unlike locals who have seen the barrier change over time, first-time visitors felt grief for something they had never seen before—the barrier in its pristine state. This suggests that people can quickly form a strong emotional connection to a place, which may increase the likelihood that they will engage in climate-friendly behavior.

“It’s good to feel pain, because it’s a motivating feeling—especially when it comes as a result of our mismanagement of the planet,” Marshall says. “It motivates us to improve and change or become more constructive.”

For Cedric Duroux, the key is to feel the grief collectively and translate it into action. After returning from Iceland, he helped organize a festival in Lyon that addressed the challenges and possible solutions to climate change.

"I think feeling sad when you see beautiful landscapes disappearing is not enough," he says. "We have a responsibility, and our feelings remind us of that."