A lot of wealthy Chinese adventurers scrambled to get to Antarctica during this China Spring Festival holiday season. Ctrip, the country's biggest online travel agency, reported that there was a sharp rise in Antarctica bookings, which can cost more than 200,000 each.
Ctrip has received more than 100 orders for its Antarctica tour package since November last year. This is nearly double the amount compared to the same period a year ago.
According to Ctrip, either the high-end cruise packages or traveling by taking a direct flight from Chile to Antarctica has a price tag ranging from 170,000 yuan to 220,000 yuan.
Some Chinese tourists have preferred vacation packages that will last more than 30 days and include tours of more countries in South America.
Peng Liang, the public relations director of Ctrip's vacation business department, said: "In recent years, Antarctica has become a more popular tourism destination, due to the rise of income of Chinese who seek more unique traveling experiences as well as media promotions."
Peng added that with an increasingly mature development of tourism services in Antarctica and more advanced cruise facilities, health requirements have become lower.
"We even received orders from tourists over 70 years old," Peng added.
A 29-year-old Beijing traveler named Du Jie took a trip to Antarctica in November for 10 days. He has experienced jumping into icy water while hiking the snowy mountains with his fellow cruise members.
As travelers visiting Antarctica increase, concerns about environmental protection are put into place on these trips. The management team usually require tourists to take away and leave behind nothing from the continent. They also advise tourists to further understand the need of environmental protection during the trip.
According to travel agencies, the best period for traveling to Antarctica is between November and February, as it is the summer time on the continent. This means that the temperature is not too cold and ideal for travelers.
The period covers China's Spring Festival break, which made it a peak time for Chinese people to travel to the South Pole.