The definition of what a tourist in Antarctica is is itself debated. Generally in Polar Tourism three types of visitor flows are recognised: 1) domestic tourism 2) inbound tourism 3) outbound tourism (Hall, 2009) (UN & UNWTO, 2007). In relation to inbound and outbound tourism the World Tourism Organization (WTO) has recommended that an international tourist be defined as: "a visitor who travels to a country other than that in which he/she has his/her usual residence for at least one night but not more than one year, and whose main purpose of visit is other than the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the country visited" (WTO, 1991) and _ that international excursionists (e.g. cruise-ship visitors), who are significant in the polar context, be defined as "[a] visitor residing in a country who travels the same day to a country other than which he/she has his/her usual environment for less than 24 hours without spending the night in the country visited and whose main purpose of visit is other than the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the country visited" (WTO, 1991).

The New Zealand Antarctic Society defines tourism as (a) Commercial activities of governments and private companies, such as aircraft overflights, aircraft landings, ship cruises and small craft voyages; (b) Non-commercial activities such as goodwill and VIP visits, recreational activities of scientists and support staff; and (c) Privately­ sponsored expeditions (e.g. Footsteps of Scott, etc.) (New Zealand Antarctic Society, 1993)