Interest in tourism to the southernmost continent is spiking, new Google data shows.
When thenine - calendar month cruise dramatook over TikTok last month , most multitude were expecting to become delight with reality TV - styleinterpersonal drama . Instead , a captive audience watched as the large commercial cruise ship sailed through the infamously rocky piddle of theDrake Passage , as Royal Caribbean ’s Serenade of the Seas made its way tosail around Antarctica .
This journey brought even more attending to a name and address that has been gaining more popularity in late years . Late last yr , Norse Atlantic Airways take flight the first Boeing 787 Dreamliner to the continent , landing the plane on an icy runway . Then , just a few weeks after the cruise passed through south-polar piss , Diploperformed a DJ go under on that gorgeous glacial arctic landscape . His presence activate yet another rush in sake for the continent . Together , a historic flight , a famed ( if problematical ) disc jockey and a viral mega - cruise signal are just the late evidence that the earth ’s southernmost continent is no longer a scientific outpost — it ’s become the late curve tourist destination .
grant to young data Google shared with Thrillist , searches for Antarctica in the US currently abide at an all - time high . Part of this is due to perpetual interestingness in the inhuman place on Earth , which is the East Antarctica Plateau . But a significant component of this recent enthrallment is paired with the desire to chatter the continent . Search volume around " antarctica change of location " has been on the rise since last September , spiking over 300%in activity through last calendar month . Some of the top trending searches related to Antarctica in the last month include " freestyle risky venture antarctica " and " viking sail to antarctica . " Both adventure travel caller Freestyle and cruise line Viking offer trips to Antarctica .
Maitane Romagosa for Thrillist
Not interested in either of those pick ? It wo n’t be heavy to find others . There are more than 100 Antarctic - bind outfitters that are members of theInternational Association of Antarctica Tour Operators(IAATO ) . The organization is committed to " check appropriate , dependable and environmentally heavy private - sphere travel to the Antarctic , " through guidelines and regulation around the way touristry can be expect out on the continent .
You also wo n’t be alone — currently , more than 50,000 people impose Antarctica each year . And now with TikToks breaking down how to find more affordable ways to go on immersive excursions to the continent , and a growing interest from the public , it ’s more and more likely that we will continue to see raw , cheaper way for citizenry to get a taste of the southern steer . On TikTok , the # antarctica hashtag presently has over 64,000 video , with most democratic videos gouge up millions of views .
Unfortunately , this increase south-polar touristry natural action will plausibly lead to much more injury than good , if the road map and regulations cautiously set out by IAATO and the scientific community of interests are not rigorously followed and apply ( which is likely to happen ) . Last year , The Atlanticpublished an article outlining that the rules are already being under - enforce and that the increase volume of holidaymaker and sink ships is putting theecosystem at extreme risk .
It can be hard to parse the hurt of each sojourn when club fishing worm like Diplo do DJ stage set on the island and jumbo commercial-grade cruise lining pass through and go away their viewing of environmental destruction behind , and all of this is seen as entertainment rather than a degradation . Still , travel to Antarctica is a classic example of just because you could , should you ? perhaps the coldest , most sparsely inhabited continent can remain a subject of our curiosity without becoming a sought - after destination .
