Photo/Shetuwang

Nov.28 (NBD) -- As living standards improve in China, polar tourism becomes increasingly popular among Chinese people.

According to statistics released by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, the number of Chinese tourists to the Antarctic region surged by 50 times from less than 100 in 2008 to nearly 5,300 in 2017. It is expected that China is to overtake America as the largest source of visitors to Antarctic tourism in the 2022-2023 season. 

The Arctic region has also seen growing Chinese tourists. Based on statistics from the Russian government, Chinese tourists are the largest consumer group in the country. Moreover, Lapland, the largest and northernmost region of Finland, recorded a 92 percent rise in overnight stays by visitors from China in 2016.

It is also worth noting that in addition to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, many Chinese tourists who visit polar regions were from second- and third-tier cities like Nanjing, Hangzhou, Chengdu and Chongqing.

Liu Zhaohui, founder and CEO of travel media Tripvivid, said that the industry will see a change in a bid to meet the demand of new customers. The rising middle-income earners in China have stricter requirements for products and services which pushes innovation of tourism agencies and other related industries, reported Economic Information Daily.  

With polar tour heats up, more and more travel agencies started to offer polar tourism services.

A report of Chinese online travel agency Ctrip shows that over 1,000 travel routes to Arctic and Antarctic regions are available on its platform. In the 2017-2018 season, the number of registered customers for polar travel increased 2 times with an average spending of over 50,000 yuan (7,194.2 U.S. dollars).

Alibaba's travel site Fliggy also launched an Antarctica travel product in March 2017 and booked 2,500 cruise ship berths with Hurtigruten for 2019 Antarctica voyages September last year. 

As Chinese people become increasingly interested in polar travel, foreign companies are also eyeing the market. Cruise company Hurtigruten launched "China Ready" program in the Chinese market, offering more localized services and products by hiring more Chinese staff.

However, as the new tourism sector took off, global warming has become a growing concern. 

Feng Xiaoxing, consultant of the All-China Environment Federation, said at the 2nd China Adventure Tourism Forum that protecting environment and developing polar tourism is not necessarily contradictory. With the popularity of polar travel, environmental protection in polar regions could reach a new level in the future.

Email: tanyuhan@nbd.com.cn