Chinese tourists take photos near the South Pole.[Photo by Wang Yanan/China Daily]High-end tourists from China are setting new benchmarks in terms of the locations they prefer to spend their holidays, with a growing number of them opting for polar destinations such as the South Pole.
China’s largest online travel agency Ctrip said it has received an unusually large number of inquiries for its South Pole tours this year and estimates that more than 1,000 Chinese tourists would be staying at the South Pole during the upcoming Spring Festival holiday in February.
The best season to visit the South Pole is usually between December and February as it is summer time there.
To cater to the rising demand, Ctrip has come up with more than 100 itineraries, including direct flights, concerts at the polar area, cruise trips and even travel in a chartered ship. The South Pole trips, which run from 12 to 37 days, are priced between 60,000 yuan ($9,095) and more than 600,000 yuan per person. Trips priced between 80,000 yuan and 120,000 yuan for each person, which last for up to 20 days, are the most popular. Trips to the polar regions have witnessed explosive growth in China in the past few years. According to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, China contributed the second largest number of tourists to the South Pole in 2016, next to the United States. The number of Chinese tourists who visited the South Pole reached 3,944 last year, soaring nearly 40 times ...