As summer arrives in the Southern Hemisphere, Antarctica is poised for a brief tourism surge. According to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators , it is projected that over 100,000 people will visit Antarctica this summer. Can the frozen continent cope with the arrival of so many visitors? What kind of relationship should humanity maintain with Antarctica? There are different views.
, between 2021 and 2022, there were a total of 236 voyages to Antarctica, bringing approximately 23,000 visitors. Dr Chen Zhao, a DECRA Fellow from the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, shares comparable experiences in the realm of Antarctic travel.
’s data illustrates this trend. Over the past decade, the top 10 countries visiting Antarctica have remained relatively stable, with the United States, China and Australia being the three major sources of Antarctic tourists. Among all countries, tourists from China saw the fastest growth prior to the pandemic. In the 2018-2019 season, a total of 8,149 Chinese tourists visited Antarctica, marking a tenfold increase compared to the year 2010 to 2011.
, tourists are “more willing to purchase cruise tickets from