Antarctica bookings surge

HX Expeditions said its October 2025-to-March 2026 Antarctica season was the strongest in the company’s history, with bookings up and capacity expanded. (cruiseindustrynews.com) The line completed 34 Antarctica sailings during the season and reported a 5 percent global increase in bookings from 2025, with some regions up as much as 80 percent. (cruiseindustrynews.com) HX also said suite bookings reached a company high, kayaking capacity jumped 188 percent, and camping spots doubled. (latteluxurynews.com) Antarctica trips sit at the premium end of cruising: passengers usually fly to Argentina or Chile, board small ice-strengthened ships, and use inflatable boats for shore landings. HX said it sweetened that journey with later departures from Buenos Aires, JetSMART Airbus A321 charter flights, and later returns to Ushuaia. (travelhx.com) (cruiseindustrynews.com) The rebound is landing inside a broader tourism surge. The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators said total visitors in the 2024-25 season reached 118,491, while vessel-passenger levels were about 5 percent below 2023-24 because one cruise-only operator did not sail. (iaato.org 1) (iaato.org 2) That split helps explain HX’s result. Expedition operators that land guests on shore held steadier than the larger “cruise-only” segment, and IAATO said landed passenger numbers were “virtually the same” in 2024-25 as the year before. (iaato.org) HX tied the sales story to science and conservation. The company said it donated 1,801 guest-scientist cruise nights, raised €124,882 for the HX Foundation, and logged 27,869 “Green Stay” nights when passengers skipped cabin servicing. (cruiseindustrynews.com) (latteluxurynews.com) Guests also submitted 1,111 Happywhale sightings and 2,250 eBird checklists, and 2,307 passengers took HX’s University of Tasmania “Introduction to Antarctica” course, according to the company. (latteluxurynews.com) The growth comes with tighter scrutiny. IAATO said highly pathogenic avian influenza remained a major concern in the Antarctic Peninsula in 2024-25, with 92 suspected-case reports and 19 new guidelines approved ahead of 2025-26 operations. (documents.ats.aq) HX Chief Executive Officer Gebhard Rainer said the company’s scale brings “responsibility,” and the line is already marketing 2026 Antarctica departures with discounts of up to 35 percent and free suite upgrades on some sailings. (cruiseindustrynews.com) (travelhx.com)