Published on : Monday, May 7, 2018
The growth shows an upward trend ever since the 2011-12 season. The huge majority of visitors, almost 41,996 had traveled by sea to Antarctica on vessels offering excursions on shore, a 16 percent growth in comparison to 2017. Of these, 3,408 flew to the South Shetland Islands and right away boarded a vessel for onward travel.
This industry, known as air/cruise, grew by 6 percent in comparison to the previous season. Besides, 9,131 visitors explored Antarctica on one of four cruise-only vessels that did not embark anywhere, an increase of 22 percent since 2016-17.
In addition, almost 580 visitors flew to field camps in Antarctica’s interior with IAATO land operators. The visitor activities majorly follow strict codes of conduct set by IAATO and through the Antarctic Treaty System.
“Antarctica receives relatively few visitors compared to other destinations,” said Terry Shaller, vice president-development at Ponant Cultural Cruises & Expeditions and chair of the IAATO Executive Committee.
“The number of tourists who set foot on the continent this past year (42,576) is less than half the number of spectators at the Super Bowl. We are, however, mindful that the unique qualities of Antarctica require stringent safeguards. Our proven success in responsible visitor management is the result of forward planning based on deep understanding of the industry. This helps us fine-tune our strategies to protect the precious places we visit while enabling people to have an enriching wilderness experience.”
Tags: Antarctica tourism