Into The Antarctic: Analyzing The Trends Of Commercialization

Despite its reputation as one of the last great frontiers on the planet, Antarctica's commercialization over the past century has increased exponentially. To what extent is the development of the southernmost continent similar to the commercialization of other locations? The objective of this paper is to analyze thematic similarities between the commercial development of different sites, with a focus on three locations: Argentinian Patagonia, Chilean Patagonia, and Antarctica. On December 29, 2018, I travelled to the southernmost city in the world – Ushuaia, Argentina – with the objective of purchasing a last-minute ticket on an icebreaker ship to Antarctica. In the pursuit, I studied the commercial development trends in the surrounding territories before successfully embarking on an expedition to Antarctica. Using a framework that I created, known as the Commercialization Life Cycle, I analyzed trends that led to the commercialization process of the three regions.