French luxury shipping line Ponant announced a world first with a hybrid electric-LNG powered icebreaker. The luxury vessel promises to deliver around 300 passengers to places never before visited by cruise passengers in ultra-luxury – and with the least damage to the environment.
The number of Chinese visitors to the Antarctic Peninsula is growing rapidly, adding to concerns over the fragile ecosystem. It’s almost a three-week trip and will cost at least 100,000 Yuan (US$15,000), and before a foot is set on frozen land, special boots are needed to walk over a sponge mat soaked in disinfectant. Besides this season Chinese tourists will have to purchase carbon credits to offset emissions.
Brooms to clean bird droppings, along with thousands of toy penguins, are among tons of items being shipped out to the UK's most remote post office. Each year, four scientists become postmasters, manning the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust's post office at Port Lockroy in Antarctica for four months.
The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) announced its tourism figures for the 2015-2016 Antarctic season on the first day of its 25th Anniversary Meeting in its home town of Newport, Rhode Island, USA.
Results from a new study examining 20 years of commercial cruise activity in the Antarctic Peninsula region have important implications for Antarctic visitor management. The paper was published online this week in the journal Antarctic Science, according to the latest release from IAATO.
Tierra del Fuego Tourism Institute (Infuetur), in extreme south Argentina, is expecting 25% more cruise visitors this 2015/16 season, most probably breaking the 100.000 milestone, with 336 calls involving 47 cruise vessels. The estimate is 112.170 passengers by April 2016, of which 79.486 non Antarctic and 36.684 Antarctic visitors.
Ushuaia, the world's southern most city and gateway to Antarctica cruises expects this 2014/2015 season an estimated forty vessels and 295 calls, according to Tierra del Fuego province port authorities. As usual the first vessel to arrive was Chilean flagged Stella Australis with 210 passengers, at the end of September, which is also expected to close the season in April next year.
During the upcoming Antarctic season, from November through March, 36,545 tourists are expected to visit, according to estimates compiled by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). That’s a slight dip from the 37,405 who visited in 2013-14, which was a 9 percent increase from the previous year.
The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) met in Providence, Rhode Island from 27-29 May for their 25th gathering of members and as at previous meetings, the goal was to review the past year and discuss current and future issues for the Antarctic tourism industry in line with the association’s mission to advocate, promote and practice safe and environmentally responsible tourism.
The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) announced its tourism figures for the 2013-2014 season, on the first day of its 25th Annual Meeting in Providence, Rhode Island. The total number was 37.405, up 9% with a growing prevalence of Chinese visitors.
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