The trip that opened Antarctica to tourists – 60 years on, was it a mistake?

American Lars-Eric Lindblad pictured here with Antarctica's first tourists. The original mission was partly to inspire people to become stewards for the planet by exposing them to one of its most awe-inspiring areas - (National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions)

Sixty years ago, American Lars-Eric Lindblad led the first group of non-scientific travelers to Antarctica, opening the most remote continent on Earth to tourism.

If 1966 seems relatively recent, consider just how isolated and inhospitable the region is: it’s 700 miles from the nearest landmass (South America), temperatures can plummet to -112F (-80C), and winds can reach 186mph.