MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Record tourist season forecasts South Georgia

The numbers of tourists visiting South Georgia in the coming season is likely to rise substantially, according to local authorities. Twenty different ships are scheduled to complete 46 visits totalling between 3.800 and 5.200 visitors.

This would represent up to a 50% rise, depending on the occupancy of available spaces on the tour ships. Full occupancy would bring around 5.600 tourists (3.765 came last season), but occupancy rates the last three seasons have varied between 69% and 93%, so the real number of visitors is likely to be anywhere between 3.800 and 5.200.

Currently six more ship visits booked than last season, a total of 46 visits from 20 different ships. Nine visits are from ships capable of bringing 199 or more passengers, one of which is the very large vessel "Prinsendam" which visits in February.

"Prinsendam" is capable of bringing 720 passengers and will only visit Grytviken. The first tour ship, the 300-passenger capacity "Nordnorge", is due to visit at the end of next month. The season will end in the middle of March 2006.

Eleven yachts have applied to visit so far. The first, "Le Sourire" is due to arrive in mid October. At least four yachts will be involved with various film and photography projects, three will be supporting various expeditions including two different attempts to kayak around the Island, and three will be supporting scientific research projects.