Tourism to Antarctica has been booming and is expected to grow significantly in coming years. In the early 1990s, only around 8,000 tourists a year were visiting Antarctica, but by the 2023-24 season, that rose to 122,000 tourists, according to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators — an organization whose very existence so shocked a revived Ernest Shackleton that he would presumably die instantly of yet another heart attack. It’s a tough industry to forecast — Antarctica doesn’t exactly have a government that wants to boost tourism — but one forecast puts 450,000 tourists a year down there by the 2033-34 season. Operators are getting ready; Viking currently has two expedition ships suitable for polar regions, with another two on order.
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