Antartica expects 36,500 tourists from Nov. through March

An estimated 36.500 tourists and 54 vessels expected this coming Antarctic season

Mercopress.com reported During the upcoming Antarctic season, from November through March, 36,545 tourists are expected to visit, according to estimates compiled by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). That’s a slight dip from the 37,405 who visited in 2013-14, which was a 9 percent increase from the previous year. Most travelers to Antarctica — 33.2% — were from the U.S. during the 2013-14 season, according to IAATO. Others visited from Australia (11%), China (8.9%), U.K. (8.1%), Germany (7.7%), Canada (5.4%), France (2.7%) and Switzerland (2.3%). Just under 21% came from a variety of other countries. The growth in Chinese visitors is dramatic, rising from just 0.2 percent 10 years ago to almost 9 percent last year. Read Article