A fixed point in a melting world: The paradoxical geographies of tourism at the North Pole
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33112/arctour.4.2.2Keywords:
Cruise tourism, Arctic Ocean, Tourist experience, North Pole, Climate change, SustainabilityAbstract
The geographic North Pole (90°N) has captivated human imagination for centuries, provoking geographical thrills and serving as both a symbol of exploration and a coveted exclusive travel destination for modern-day tourists. While the geographic North Pole remains a permanent and still geographic attraction, the surrounding sea ice is, however, increasingly shrinking, turning this part of the Arctic into the epitome of last chance tourism (LCT). The coexistence of these opposing realities raises practical tensions and critical questions about the future of tourism in the Central Arctic Ocean, whereby people will continue to seek to reach the North Pole in a rapidly changing environment. Using icebreaker cruise tourism as an example, this paper examines how the geographies of the North Pole and the sea ice physics of the Arctic Ocean are intricately interconnected in shaping the North Pole tourist experience – an experience increasingly threatened by climate change. By bringing these contrasting realities together, the paper introduces the idea of the North Pole as a paradoxical place on the one hand, while on the other hand, it provides novel insights into the future of tourism in one of the most vulnerable environments of planet Earth.
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