Antarctica tourism rises, and health officials probe a shipboard outbreak
Antarctica’s tourism boom is drawing renewed biosecurity attention after a deadly outbreak of hantavirus aboard the Dutch ship MV Hondius, spotlighting the health risks and contamination concerns that can come with more visitors and more frequent voyages to the continent. The case has fueled warnings that even if outbreaks are uncommon, the growth in tourism means the chance of contamination could rise as the number of people traveling to one of the world’s most isolated ecosystems expands.
The World Health Organization said the MV Hondius trip left Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1, then visited Antarctica and several isolated islands. WHO said Tuesday it is investigating possible human-to-human transmission on the cruise ship, and Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness, said officials suspect the first infected person likely contracted the virus before boarding. WHO also said officials have been told there are no rats on board.
Hantavirus typically spreads through inhaling contaminated rodent droppings, and shipboard outbreaks of other contagious diseases such as norovirus have shown how quickly illness can spread in close quarters. In 2020, a COVID-19 outbreak on the Diamond Princess turned that cruise ship into what officials described as an incubator for the virus. Authorities have not indicated any evidence that the MV Hondius outbreak involved contamination linked to the ship, but the broader concern remains: more visits increase opportunities for organisms and pathogens to be brought to new environments.
The context for the heightened scrutiny is the rapid growth of Antarctic tourism. The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators data cited by the Associated Press said that in 2024, more than 80,000 tourists touched down on the continent and about 36,000 viewed Antarctica from ships. The International Union of Concerned Scientists estimated tourism has grown tenfold over the past 30 years, and the Associated Press report said that number could climb further as costs fall with more ice-capable hulls and as technology improves.
Tourists and operators often head to the Antarctic Peninsula, which is among the fastest-warming areas on Earth. The report said NASA data indicate that from 2002 to 2020, roughly 149 billion metric tons of Antarctic ice melted per year. It described a common routing pattern in which ships voyage south from Argentina toward Antarctica before heading north up the coast of Africa, a route associated with the MV Hondius cruise.
Environmental and scientific groups said Antarctic tourism remains small in absolute terms, partly because of the expense and the time required to reach the region, but they warned that its speed of growth is outpacing the ability to manage risk. “The sites you will see in Antarctica are extremely unique and not replicable anywhere else on the planet — the whales, the seals, the penguins, the icebergs — it’s all really stunning and it makes a huge impression on people,” said Claire Christian, executive director of the environmental group Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition.
Hanne Nielsen, a senior lecturer of Antarctic law at the University of Tasmania, said rules and hygiene practices are especially important for reducing the risk that visitors bring in biological material. Nielsen, who described her experience as a former guide, said there are “rules that people are bound by when they’re heading south,” and described crews and passengers using vacuums, disinfectants and brushes to scrub shoes and equipment so they are clear of bugs, feathers, seeds and dirt that could carry microbes. She also said hantavirus and other outbreaks underline the need for those practices as passenger numbers increase.
The report said migratory birds have previously brought avian flu from South America to Antarctica, citing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. After that outbreak, the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators and others hardened rules for tourists’ conduct and hygiene intended to protect both visitors and the fragile ecosystem from invasive species. To protect the environment, visitors are told to stay away from animals and to avoid touching the ground with anything but their feet.
Antarctica is governed by the Antarctic Treaty, which established the region in 1959 as a scientific preserve for peaceful purposes. According to the treaty’s secretariat, rules that followed aim to ensure that visits, regardless of location, do not adversely impact the Antarctic environment or its scientific and aesthetic values. The report said companies and scientific ventures voluntarily comply with biosecurity guidelines and submit environmental impact assessments for Antarctic operations, and Christian said the treaty was written when tourism numbers were much lower.
Christian said activity needs regulation comparable to other sensitive ecological sites, and she said she would join calls to strengthen protections for Antarctica’s penguins, whales, seabirds, seals and krill at an Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting. Even with the biosecurity concerns, she said the draw of the frozen frontier persists—adding that “you can put a footprint in Antarctica and it’s still there 50 years later,” reflecting how lasting the impacts of human activity can be in the region.