The number of Chinese visitors to the Antarctic in 2016 reached 3,944, accounting for 15% of the global market share, according to the latest statistics released by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). China has become the second largest source market for Antarctica tourism, second only to the United States.
Before 2011, very few tourists from China have visited to the Antarctica. However, the number of Chinese visitors to the continent rose rapidly between 2011 and 2013.
An industry analyst said that there’s much room to grow in the Chinese visitor arrivals to the Antarctic. It is worth noting that some travel agencies are attracting the travelers with low-cost Antarctica tour products asthese low-cost offerings may not be able to provide good travel experience.
Chinese newspaper Beijing Business Today reported that Antarctica tour is basically presented as a high-end itineraryon the websites of Ctrip's HHTravel and UTour's Magic Travel, costing 100,000 yuan to hundreds of thousands yuan per trip. But similar tour products on some travel sites were only priced at 50,000-60,000 yuan per trip to lure tourists, offering inferior experience.
