A report in The Sydney Morning Herald says that Australian budget adventure travel company Gecko is to add Antarctica to its schedule, with from November 2008, Gecko operating the ice-strengthened expedition vessel Lyubov Orlova out of Ushuaia, Argentina, down to the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula.
Aimed at the youth budget market, the trip will be considerably cheaper than the other Australian travel companies running expeditions to the Antarctic – Aurora Expeditions, World Expeditions, Adventure Associates, Orion Expedition Cruises and Gecko’s parent body, Peregrine Adventures.
Prices for an 11-day voyage will start at $4725 a person triple share and will include add-ons such as meals, lectures and expeditions.
According to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, tourism on the continent is booming. Tourist numbers have grown from 6700 in 1992 to 26,245 last summer.
Greg Mortimer, director of Aurora Expeditions, says his company could easily fill another ship each summer, with Aurora’s 12 trips for the coming season booked out and trips for 2008-2009 are already half full.
Mortimer, the first Australian to climb Vinson Massif – the highest mountain in Antarctica – says the industry is doing a good job of self-regulation from an environmental point of view.
“Numbers are not a problem, not yet.” “It’s more a management problem on the wilderness front.” “It’s a vast area but the top six spots on the peninsula have ships berthed at them twice a day.” “The issue for operators and the association is keeping up with the growth.”
See http://www.geckos.com.au/ and http://www.iaato.org/.
Report by The Mole and The Sydney Morning Herald
