REVISTA DAP AVENTURA 2014-2015

Aventura al fin del mundo 2014 - 2015
in the largest numbers, followed by those
from the United States or Australia.
Antarctic Tourism on the Rise:
9% growth registered last season
Air-cruise tours are
growing each year, as
they allow travelers to
arrive in Punta Arenas
and from there, board
an airplane which takes
them directly to King
George Island, from
where they continue the
journey.
Two decades ago, no more than 20 ships
carried tourists to the White Continent during
the summer. This figure is contrasting against
those registered last summer, when 87 ships
operated in the Antarctic area, especially in
the Antarctic Peninsula.
In the last summer season, 37.405 visitors
came to Antarctica, and with that a rise of
9% was experienced comparing to the 2012-
2013 season, when 34.316 tourists visited.
Most are attracted by the experience of
stepping foot on the cleanest, most solitary
grounds of the planet. Standing before a
landscape that is so different to anywhere in
the other continents. Where low temperatures
abound, and the ice and snow take over the
magnificent stage.
Visiting the South Shetland Islands, and
watching the natural colonies of penguins,
the leopard seals or sea lions, is one of the
attractions both for tourists and scientists,
with the diversity of birds and fauna, as well
as the landscape adorned by icebergs and
the beautiful shore.
According to data by the International
Association of Antarctica Tour Operators
(IAATO), travelers from China have visited
In the 2013-2014 season the rise in public
was experienced in all sectors of Antarctic
tourism, although the largest growth is
registered in operations that combine aircraft
and cruise ships (5%). This mode of travel
is carried out from Punta Arenas, where
travelers are taken by Antarctic Airways
plane to the Teniente Marsh airstrip at the
Frei Montalva Chilean Base, to hop aboard
their cruise.
Andrés Pivcevic, CEO at DAP, highlights the
rise this combination has enjoyed in the last
summers. “For this season, we are planning
to make approximately 60 flights, counting
from November 2014 to March 2015”, he
explains. He admits this represents a growth
of around 5% with respect to last season.
“Each year, the air-cruise mode is growing
in interest with Tour-Operators”, he follows.
This mode, according to the executive, will
most likely keep growing, as it allows the
tourist an arrival to Antarctica in less time.
This way, sailing through the Drake sea can
be avoided, being a two and a half day travel,
while tour-operators can keep costs down
and save time that would be spent taking
their ship from Antarctica to the cities of
Ushuaia or Punta Arenas for the exchange
of passengers.
Adventure at the End of the World 15