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The recently announced 2019 line-up expands upon the four China-exclusive cruises Fliggy is offering for January and February 2018—and continues the exclusive partnership between Alibaba’s Fliggy and Hurtigruten, a Norwegian company best known for its fjord cruises. Fliggy’s Antarctic cruises will take place on Hurtigruten’s M/S Midnatsol (Midnight Sun), a cruise vessel with capacity for 1,000 passengers. It is unclear how many Chinese travelers will be allowed on each tour, but the number will likely be lower than the total capacity of the ship. The vessel, which usually travels the Bergen-Kirkenes route in Norway, only offers 644 beds—which probably is a limiting factor for a multi-day cruise to Antarctica. The industry is showing no signs of slowing down. According to China Tourism Association Secretary-General Zhang Rungang, China has already become the second-largest source of visitors to Antarctica, with 3,944 Chinese nationals visiting in 2016. China represents an even more substantial proportion of visits to the Arctic, with estimates putting the number at between 25-50 percent of annual visits. According to a report in state-owned People’s Daily, Hurtigruten will launch a third vessel for Antarctica trips in 2018 to meet rising demand in the Chinese market. The paper also reports that Fliggy is mulling the possibility of launching its own vessel that would take its customers to Antarctica in 2019. Read Original Article |
