Honghu Travel: Report on Chinese High-end Polar Travel

In recent years, the polar tourism market has been hot. Compared with the Arctic, which has less time to visit, Antarctica is a more popular destination for polar tourism. There are three ways to travel to Antarctica: cruise, air-sea and airplane. Among them, 90% of tourists choose cruise tourism, and most passengers will board the ship from Ushuaia, Argentina to the Antarctic Peninsula. At present, most Antarctic tours on the market cost between RMB 50,000 and RMB 200,000. The huge difference in price lies in whether passengers can land in Antarctica for sightseeing. The low-priced Antarctic tour routes usually use large cruise ships, and the Antarctic Treaty prohibits cruise ships with more than 500 passengers from docking in Antarctica. Therefore, large cruise ships can only cruise on the Antarctic Peninsula, and passengers cannot land on the polar land for an in-depth experience. In addition, the service level of other facilities configured in the itinerary also determines the price of polar tours.

As a leader in polar high-end travel, HHtravel has been striving to provide Chinese upper class with differentiated polar travel products for many years. It only provides high-end customers with small and medium-sized cruise ships with about 200 passengers, such as Silversea Cruises, and direct flights to Antarctica XXI's top-level and scarce Hebridean Sky cruises. High-end customers can stay in balcony suites; the route will also meet the needs of high-end "Antarctic tourists" to land in the polar regions, get close to polar animals, hike on glaciers and other shore activities. In addition, high-end customers will also take business class and stay in top hotels on land, such as Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton, and enjoy exquisite small group services of 2-10 people, full Chinese escort services and exclusive car guides.

According to the survey, the Chinese upper class yearns for the polar regions as a way to express themselves, and they are more eager for in-depth experiential travel; at the same time, China's wealthy people also hope to experience the scarce high-end polar tourism resources, and HHtravel Honghu Yiyou can just meet the needs of high-end customers for top products and services. In order to continue to meet and deeply understand the travel needs of high-end Antarctic travelers, Ctrip's high-end travel brand HHtravel Honghu Yiyou recently released the "Chinese Polar High-end Tourism Report", which shows that the main force of polar tourism is 35-50 years old, mainly corporate executives and private owners. The average cost of a polar tour is about 250,000 yuan. Exclusive Chinese services and cruise comfort and safety are the most concerned factors for high-end customers, and island exploration projects are the most popular among high-end customers.

The report data shows that among the various factors that high-end passengers pay attention to before setting off for the polar regions, the most important are the exclusive Chinese escort service throughout the trip and the comfort of the cruise cabin. The Chinese escort is a factor that most older high-end passengers pay attention to. The knowledge lectures and accompanying explanations in the polar tour itinerary require exclusive Chinese services to eliminate language barriers. In terms of cruise ships, wealthy people also attach great importance to travel comfort. Small and medium-sized cruise ships can enable high-end passengers to stay in luxury balcony suites with extra-large private spaces, and they can also enjoy 24-hour private butler services, visiting the polar regions in the most comfortable way. Cruise safety is also important. In Antarctica, HHtravel arranged the Silversea Cruise Explorer, which has been rated A1A by the British Lloyd's Register ice class mark. It is a small cruise ship dedicated to expedition voyages and one of the few that can sail in the highest ice areas; while the "50 Years of Victory" is used in the Arctic, which is the largest and most powerful nuclear-powered icebreaker in history to ensure the safety of the entire polar voyage.

At present, HHtravel's polar routes are divided into "luxury", "expedition" and "in-depth": respectively, they refer to exploring the North and South Poles on a top-level Silversea cruise ship or saving time to cross the Drake Passage and fly directly to Antarctica, an expedition trip to the North and South Poles, and an in-depth route to travel around the three Antarctic islands. According to the survey, the high-end customer groups who choose the three types of routes are comparable; the luxury category accounts for a slight lead of 40%, which also meets the needs of high-end people who value travel comfort. It is reported that Silversea Cruises, the only ultra-luxury cruise ship sailing in the Antarctic waters, is a long-term partner of HHtravel's Antarctic itinerary. In addition to being able to land on almost all the islands, it can also provide award-winning luxury services, including exquisite cuisine designed by RELAIS & CHATEAUX chefs, and all room types are equipped with bathtubs; after a day of exploration, passengers can still enjoy the intimate butler service with a ratio of nearly 1:1 passengers to waiters when they return to the ship. HHtravel has also cooperated with Antarctica XXI, the world's first cruise company to fly directly to Antarctica, to arrange for guests to take flights from Punta Arenas, Chile to Antarctica, greatly saving travel time.

According to the survey mentioned above, the factors that high-end customers are most concerned about when traveling to the polar regions include landing on polar islands, expert guide explanations, and special experience projects in addition to safety and comfort. Among the many experience projects provided by HHtravel's polar tour itinerary, island exploration is the most popular. It is reported that HHtravel's Antarctic itinerary will arrange island landings about twice a day, and the Arctic itinerary will also arrange island landing activities according to weather conditions. Experienced expedition experts will lead high-end customers to land and give guided explanations. Whether it is a landing expedition or a sea cruise, the expert expedition team members equipped by the cruise ship, such as geologists, oceanographers, ornithologists, and biologists, will also give lectures, organize seminars, and lead passengers to cruise on assault boats, shuttle through the numerous icebergs and archipelagos in Antarctica, and observe various polar animals up close. While enjoying the original scenery of polar glaciers and icebergs along the way, high-end customers can also challenge various extreme life experiences and explore the world's most untouched original natural scenery.

In terms of travel time, polar itineraries generally have fixed travel schedules, and Antarctica is mostly in November-December and January-February each year. In November-December, high-end passengers can enjoy direct flights to Antarctica and easily reach the top of the world across the Drake Passage; the proportion of travel in January-February is also large because during the Spring Festival, high-end passengers can not only have a 7-day holiday but also celebrate the unforgettable Spring Festival in Antarctica. Due to climate reasons, the Arctic can only be traveled in the summer of June-July in the northern hemisphere. In addition, traveling at different times will also allow you to experience a variety of polar landscapes and different experiences.

The report shows that the age of high-end tourists who travel to the polar regions is mostly between 35 and 50 years old, and the age is getting younger. Corporate executives, private owners and their families are the main force in the high-end tourism market in the Arctic and Antarctic; in addition, 21% of high-end tourists in the polar regions are retired and have sufficient time and financial resources to visit the polar regions. These high-end guests have rich travel experience, and polar travel is a journey of self-realization.

In terms of the number of people traveling, polar tours are mainly for two people, and couples account for a large proportion. The most commonly chosen travel combinations for Chinese people to travel to the polar regions are couples/lovers, parents and children, children sending parents on a trip, and traveling with friends. It is worth mentioning that in recent years, the proportion of parent-child travel to the polar regions has increased year by year; in terms of children's education, high-end people mainly hope to broaden their children's horizons and focus on interaction with their children. Embarking on a polar exploration journey together and letting children experience the purest place in the world is undoubtedly an extremely precious memory.

The per capita expenditure of high-end customers on polar travel is about 250,000 yuan. More than 70% of the travel days are 16 days or more. After all, it takes plenty of time to explore and enjoy the polar regions. 38% of high-end customers will book polar travel products more than 8 months in advance, which also shows that the wealthy people have clear goals and needs for polar travel and prefer to book products in advance; more importantly, the polar tourism resources provided by HHtravel are scarce, including cabins on small and medium-sized cruise ships, seats on direct flights to Antarctica, etc. The earlier these super travelers book, the more likely they are to achieve high-end polar travel.

HHtravel has been committed to meeting the travel needs of high-end customers, focusing on privacy and experience. Small groups of 2-10 people meet the needs of couples, families, friends and other private travel. The polar regions are more in line with the concept of small group travel. Faced with many polar travel products on the market, although they go to the same destination, the travel routes, itineraries and services are very different, from landing in the polar regions to go deep into the wonderful penguin world, to watching humpback whales up close, to walking directly to the North and South Poles, and then to listening to polar lectures with other cruise passengers. The South and North Poles, which must be visited in a lifetime, must of course be fully experienced in the most comfortable way.

From: Pincheng Travel