Hantavirus-Infected Cruise Ship Part of Antarctic Tourism Trend

Tourism in the Antarctic Peninsula is a niche but booming industry powered by deep-pocketed adventure-seekers travelling thousands of miles to marvel at penguin colonies and take "polar plunges" in sight of icebergs.

But 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 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 - planned before the virus outbreak on the Hondius - will discuss whether the Antarctic Treaty System governing the vast ice-covered continent requires a more robust framework to regulate tourism.

It 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," said Amy White, a vice president at VIKAND Solutions, which provides medical services to the maritime industry.

'NO PLAN' TO COPE WITH