More adventurous Chinese holidaymakers are heading to the Antarctic as polar exploration gains popularity among the nation’s wealthy jetsetters, according an article published by South China Morning Post on July 22.

Journeys to the North and South Poles made up one-third of the tours Chinese “super travelers” took last year.

The Hurun Chinese Luxury Traveler report had polled 291 such travelers, defining them as those with at least 10 million yuan (HK$12.7 million) and had spent at least US$30,000 on travel in the past 12 months.

“The recent popularity of Antarctica with the Chinese luxury traveler shows how much experiential travel is now on the cards,” Hurun Report chairman Rupert Hoogewerf said.

A decade ago, only 99 Chinese tourists visited the Antarctic during the 2005/2006 travel season, but the number shot up to 3,042 in 2014/2015, according to the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO). The travel season to the continent is between November and March.

Based on tourist numbers to the Antarctic, China is now ranked fourth, after the United States, Australia and Britain. More than 12,000 US citizens visited the continent during the 2014/2015 travel season.

Beijing retiree Yang Yuan, 60, who travelled to the Antarctic in January, said her cruise operator handed each visitor a brochure detailing how to protect the Antarctic environment.

“I was stunned by the pure scenery and was moved by the service of my American cruise operator, who spared no effort in protecting the environment,” Yang said.

“I think my two-week trip was not sufficient. I would like to go to the South Pole next to see the emperor penguins.”